Sanchez stellar through seven innings as Blue Jays topple Padres

Right now, Sanchez’s performances are doing the loudest talking.

On Monday, Sanchez (11-1) was as good as he has been all year. He allowed just three hits, with only one — a double from Alex Dickerson in Sanchez’s seventh and final inning — leaving the infield.

Sanchez also struck out seven batters, four of whom were caught looking. It was the seventh-straight start that Sanchez had allowed two or fewer runs. He has accomplished that feat in nine of his previous 10 starts.

When the Padres made contact at all, it was weak. Harmless pop outs and grounders were the norm. Sanchez lowered his earned-run average to 2.72, the second-lowest mark in the American League, and became the first Blue Jays pitcher to win 10 straight since Roy Halladay won 15 decisions in a row in 2003.

“He’s got great life on his fastball,” Gibbons said. “It’s tough to square him up. He threw enough curveballs over to keep everybody honest, and even a couple of change-ups. He’s really coming into his own.”

Of course, that re-started the conversation about where Sanchez will finish the season — in the bullpen or the rotation. Sanchez badly wanted to start at the beginning of the year, but mentioned the injury issues of the New York Mets’ Matt Harvey, who recently had season-ending surgery on his right shoulder, when asked about his status.

“My job is to pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays,” Sanchez said. “Wherever that may be, that’s where it’s going to be. Obviously, there’s been a lot of talk about that. I’ve said it time and time again: When the time comes, that’s when we’re going to worry about it. Right now, we’ll continue to work hard, work smart and I’ll take the ball every five days.

“I’m not just here to pitch in 2016. I’m here to pitch five, six, seven (years), however long it is.”

Sanchez was the headliner in a game that was supposed to be about the Blue Jays’ lineup, which featured slugger Jose Bautista for the first time since mid-June.

The right-fielder missed 30 games because of turf toe in his right big toe, an injury he suffered on June 16 in Philadelphia. He walked and singled in four plate appearances. Russell Martin also returned from his three-game absence caused by a knee injury.

“I thought he moved around pretty good in the outfield,” Gibbons said of Bautista. “That’s what we were looking for. You never know what’s going to happen with his timing (at the plate) and all of that. Eventually, that will click in and he’ll do his thing. I didn’t see him hobbling at all. I checked in with him during the game, and he said he felt great.”

Kevin Pillar had three hits, including a sixth-inning double that was his first extra-base hit in 41 plate appearances, and an RBI to lead the Blue Jays (56-44). Troy Tulowitzki also drove in a run, and extended his hitting streak to 10 games with an eighth-inning double.

Josh Donaldson and Devon Travis drove in the other Toronto runs and Roberto Osuna recorded the final two outs for his 21st save of the year.

Alex Dickerson had three of the Padres’ (43-57) five hits, including a two-run home run off Bo Schultz in the ninth inning that reached the upper deck.

Michael Saunders tripled for Toronto’s first hit of the game off San Diego starter Colin Rea (5-5) in the fourth inning. Tulowitzki then hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track that Padres centre-fielder Travis Janowski had to leap to catch.

Pillar laced a double to the gap to lead off the fifth inning, and Travis doubled him home on a broken-bat drive. Donaldson singled home Travis two batters later.

Pillar doubled home Tulowitzki in the eighth inning.

Eric Koreen, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Sanchez stellar through seven innings as Blue Jays topple Padres

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