Shutting down Sanchez isn’t the answer

Steve Phillips

TSN Baseball Insider

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Aaron Sanchez’s blisters have returned once again. He was limited to six first-half starts because of nagging skin and nail issues on his throwing hand. Just when it looked like the problems were under control, the right-hander had to be removed after four innings in his last start against the Red Sox on Wednesday night.

He had made one relief appearance before the All-Star break and then started the first game after it. He looked like the 2016 version of Aaron Sanchez in that start, using all of his pitches and over six quality innings. On Wednesday, the blisters cropped up early in the game and only got worse.

Sanchez allowed six hits and five runs against the Red Sox. He also walked five batters and only struck out two. The Jays’ young starter didn’t get one swing and miss in his 79 pitches. He couldn’t command or locate his pitches because of grip issues trying to protect the developing blister.

A sinker ball pitcher like Sanchez relies on putting pressure on the ball and manipulating the rotation of it coming out of his hand to make the ball sink and tail. When friction on the laces causes a blister on a pitcher’s finger, the natural response is to change the grip, pressure and release of the ball. This leads to a different spin rate, not to mention location and movement.

Some are suggesting Sanchez be shut down for the rest of the season to get the issue under control. Others believe a move to the bullpen is the answer. I wouldn’t shut him down. The extra month isn’t necessary for his healing. If October, November, December, January and February aren’t enough time for his fingers to heal, then the problem is never likely to go away completely.

I would give the young ace one more crack at being a starter. If the blisters crop up again, move him to the bullpen for the remainder of the season. He needs to log innings for his growth and development. The season can’t be a total bust.

Dodgers’ pitcher Rich Hill has dealt with blisters over the past couple of seasons. He missed a month this year because of them. He seems to have been able to put the issue behind him, but the Dodgers tend to be very careful with him. He has thrown more than 100 pitches once all year. The Dodgers would have shifted Hill to the bullpen if he hadn’t been able to overcome blisters this last time.

Dodgers look dominant

Of course, moving Hill to the bullpen would have worked out just fine for Los Angeles as everything they do seems to be going right. They are 66-30 on the season and have two winning streaks of 10 games or more already. They’ve won 31 of their last 36 games and are on pace for 113 wins. They have won 25 straight games started by Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood. Their starters have gone at least five innings in 25 of their last 29 games, and they’ve outscored their opponents by a remarkable 178 runs.                                 

Cody Bellinger, who has 26 homers and 63 RBI, will be the NL Rookie of the Year and will certainly get votes for the MVP, just as shortstop Corey Seager did a year ago. Last year, the Dodgers struggled against left-handed starters (22-24) but this season they’re dramatically improved (21-9).

Another interesting Dodgers note: Per Elias, the Dodgers have won 44 straight games in which they have had a lead.

The Dodgers have just one area of weakness: They need a quality left-handed reliever for the seventh or eighth inning to face some of the big left-handed hitters in the NL. They especially need that lefty against David Peralta and Jake Lamb of the Diamondbacks; Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies; Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy of the Nationals and Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber of the Cubs.

There is speculation that the Orioles may consider trading Zach Britton. He would put the Dodgers way over the top. If they don’t get Britton, guys like Tony Watson (Pirates), Brad Hand (Padres), Jerry Blevins (Mets), and Justin Wilson (Tigers) would fit the bill as well.

Trade deadline watch

A number trades have already taken place as the July 31 deadline approaches.

The Washington Nationals added two relievers, Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle, from the Oakland A’s for Blake Treinen and two prospects. The Arizona Diamondbacks added J.D. Martinez from the Detroit Tigers for three prospects, while the New York Yankees added Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle from the Chicago White Sox for Tyler Clippard and three prospects. David Phelps went from the Miami Marlins to the Seattle Mariners for four prospects.

Noticeably, relief pitchers are changing teams at a rapid pace as bullpens have become more and more important in the game. The Nationals have the worst bullpen ERA (5.32) in the league, so their moves were necessary if they are to have any shot of winning once they get to playoff baseball.

In addition to Frazier, who will help the Yankees versatility and need at first base, the additions of Robertson and Kahnle gives them one of the deepest, if not the deepest, bullpen in baseball. Dellin Betances and closer Aroldis Chapman are two of the hardest throwers in the game. With the additions, this bullpen is reminiscent of the Royals bullpen from 2015 and Indians pen of 2016.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi will be able to shorten the game. If the opposition doesn’t have the lead after five innings, they’re in trouble. Girardi can go to Adam Warren or Kahnle in the sixth inning, Robertson in the seventh and Betances in the eighth before bringing in Chapman for the save. He also has lefty Chasen Shreve to neutralize any lefty slugger. The Yanks now have five relievers who average more than nine strikeouts per nine innings pitched.

The cost of adding a quality starting pitcher is much more than adding relievers, so the Yankees improved their rotation by protecting the guys they have with a super pen. Every night they have great options to hold a lead or hold a deficit so the offence can come back. Knowing they are protected by such a deep bullpen takes pressure off the starters.

What made this trade even more interesting is that clubs usually group prospects together at the deadline to get an impact major league player for the stretch run. In this deal, the White Sox bunched major leaguers to get an impact prospect.

Rick Hahn, the White Sox GM, realized that if he sold Frazier, Robertson and Kahnle separately he could probably get a greater number of prospects but most of them would be second-tier guys – role player types or middle relievers or fifth starters. He wanted at least one impact prospect instead of just inventory.  So, he grouped his big leaguers together to get infielder Blake Rutherford, the No. 30 prospect in baseball and two other prospects.

Hahn and Yankees GM Brian Cashman both did a great job in this deal.

Spitting Seeds

- The Blue Jays may be very quiet at the trade deadline this year. They haven’t been able to gain much traction in the AL East and Wild Card races, so it seems unlikely they will be buying in any significant way. If they win their next six games they can get their record back to 50-51, which is what their record was in 2015 when they acquired David Price and Troy Tulowitzki and made a mad dash to win the AL East. If they don’t make a run over the next 10 days it seems unlikely the Jays will be active at the deadline as sellers either.

Their two most obvious trade candidates – Marco Estrada and Jose Bautista – are not garnering much interest. General managers I’ve spoken with have concerns about Estrada’s command and inflated numbers this year. Bautista’s struggles against left-handed pitching (.161/.288/.264) eliminate him as a fallback to the clubs out west that lost out on J.D. Martinez. There are a bunch of lefty starters in the NL West so righty power bats have been a target.

Francisco Liriano may have had some value if his performance was better, but now he isn’t even being considered by other clubs. In fact, you wonder how much longer the Jays can keep him in the rotation as his short starts are wiping out the bullpen.

- For those that believe in a home run derby curse, 2017 derby champ Aaron Judge, is making a case for you. He’s hitting .138 with only four singles in 29 at-bats since the break. He has the fifth longest homer drought of any hitter coming out of the derby. Vlad Guerrero had the longest drought in 2007 when he went 75 at-bats before hitting a homer. Judge did get robbed of a homer when Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. climbed the wall at Fenway Park last weekend. Mookie Betts also made a diving catch on a ball Judge hit in the gap in that series, so he hasn’t been as awful as the numbers look. 

It appears his struggles are less about the derby and more about an adjustment that pitchers have made in their approach. Per ESPN’s Notes, Stats and Trends, since the All-Star break, Judge is seeing a much higher percentage of fastballs (59.4 per cent compared to 46.3 per cent). Plus, pitchers have recognized Judge is a low-ball hitter so they are attacking him up in the zone over twice as much as they did before the break (62 per cent compared to 30.2 per cent). To compound the problem, Judge is chasing those pitches 39.2 per cent of the time, compared to 17.1 per cent before the break.

Baseball is a game of adjustments. The league has made an adjustment on the young slugger and now it’s time for him to adjust as well. He needs to take the pitch up in the zone until he has two strikes and then try and maintain his discipline and not chase out of the zone. His struggles have less to do with the home run derby and much more to do with his mental approach at the plate.

- I wondered how the Red Sox would replace the clutch performance of David Ortiz. The answer is clear: Dustin Pedroia. The smallest guy in Boston has become the biggest guy. Since Aug. 19, 2016, Pedroia is hitting .441 with runners in scoring position. This season he’s hitting .403 in that situation. He leads all of baseball with 23 RBI in the month of July. In addition to getting it done with the bat he is among the best defenders at any position. He just had a 114-game errorless streak broken this week.

- The sky is falling on the Milwaukee Brewers and they’re hearing the thunderous footsteps of the Chicago Cubs behind them. The Brew Crew is currently only one game ahead of the Cubs in the NL Central. They need to make a deal to reinvigorate their spirits. The Cubs added Jose Quintana and they haven’t lost in the second half. Milwaukee needs to improve their starting rotation or they may falter. They’ve been tied to Sonny Gray of Oakland, although they’re competing with a number of clubs for his services and the Astros seem to be the favorites to land him. Justin Verlander has also been tied to the Brewers, but his salary is a bit rich for the Brewers coffers. That deal only happens if the Tigers eat a bunch of money.

- Reds’ shortstop Zack Cozart would be a great addition for a club at the deadline, but there isn’t a contender in need of a shortstop. There is some thought that clubs could consider moving him to third base.

- The Mets are hoping to entice teams to consider Asdrubal Cabrera as a trade option. The shortstop turned second baseman is now shifting across the field to third base. Consider the move as the marketing of Cabrera. He can solve problems for any numbers of teams. The Mets are trying to lure Boston into discussions after they lost Todd Frazier to the Yankees. Speculation is that the Red Sox have shifted their sights to Eduardo Nunez of the San Francisco Giants.

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Steve Phillips was general manager of the New York Mets from 1997 through 2003, helping lead the club to a National League championship in 2000 and its first World Series appearance since 1986. His analysis appears each week on TSN.ca, TSN Radio and SportsCentre.