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05/19/13 12:20:00
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05/19 00:14 CDT Sanchez struggles in Detroit's loss to Texas
Sanchez struggles in Detroit's loss to Texas
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Anibal Sanchez was knocked out of the game early
Saturday night, the second time in three games a Tigers starter hasn't made it
out of the third against the Rangers.
Elvis Andrus had a career-high five hits, Mitch Moreland homered and Texas
roughed up Sanchez in the Rangers' 7-2 victory over the Tigers.
Sanchez (4-4) gave up a season-high six runs in 2 2-3 innings, his shortest
start in almost two years. The right-hander yielded nine hits, walked two and
struck out two as his ERA jumped from 2.05 to 2.77.
Andrus ended Sanchez's night after 74 pitches with an RBI single that gave
Texas a 6-2 lead.
Tigers ace Justin Verlander gave up eight runs in 2 2-3 innings in Detroit's
10-4 loss to the Rangers on Thursday night.
"Sometimes you just don't have it and you're trying to do the best you could,"
Detroit catcher Alex Avila said. "When guys have been as consistent as
(Sanchez) has or like Justin has, everybody gets really worried. But I'm pretty
confident he'll have a pretty good start his next time around."
Detroit has lost seven of 11 games and dropped a game behind the Cleveland
Indians in the AL Central.
Torii Hunter snapped an 0-for-15 slide with an RBI double and he scored two
batters later on Prince Fielder's single, bringing the Tigers within 4-2 in the
third.
Sanchez was gone soon after that.
Moreland led off the bottom of the third with his 10th homer and Andrus'
run-scoring hit made it 6-2 and forced Sanchez out of the game.
Sanchez threw 32 pitches in each of the first two innings. This was his
shortest start since going 1 2-3 innings Aug. 10, 2011 as a member of the
Marlins.
"It's a bad outing," Sanchez said. "I don't have an excuse. We have to give
credit to the team, they swung well."
Andrus scored three runs, had two RBIs and stole a pair of bases as he hit
leadoff for the second straight game in place of ailing second baseman Ian
Kinsler. Andrus was a home run shy of the cycle and finished off his 5-for-5
game with a single to right in the eighth.
The Texas shortstop admitted that he was swinging for a homer in his last
at-bat against reliever Phil Coke.
"(Adrian) Beltre told me to take three hard swings," Andrus said. "Try to go
yard. That's what I did, but the pitch was down. But I'm really happy with a
base hit."
Texas starter Justin Grimm (3-3) gave up two runs in 6 2-3 innings to snap a
three-game losing streak. The rookie allowed seven hits and struck out two
while throwing a career-high 105 pitches.
After allowing two runs in the third, Grimm retired 12 of the final 14 batters
he faced and left to a standing ovation. He credited a pep talk from manager
Ron Washington after the third inning for his success Saturday.
"Wash got me in the dugout and told me to trust my stuff," Grimm said. "He kind
of tapped me in the face and caught me off guard. Just hearing that he had
confidence in me meant a lot."
Andrus singled on Sanchez's first pitch of the game, then stole second and
advanced to third on Avila's throwing error. The Texas shortstop scored on
Avila's passed ball.
The Rangers extended their lead to 4-0 with three runs in the second.
Andrus got the inning going with an RBI triple that tipped the end of Hunter's
glove in right. Hunter said that he lost the ball in the lights.
"I went to where I thought it was going to be and it wasn't there," Hunter
said. "You can't catch something you can't see."
Andrus scored on Sanchez's throwing error and Lance Berkman capped the second
inning with an RBI single.
Berkman's RBI double scored Andrus, who led off the sixth with a double.
NOTES: Texas RHP Colby Lewis (elbow) and C A.J. Pierzynski (strained right
oblique muscle) will begin rehab assignments Monday for Double-A Frisco. Lewis
was removed from his rehab stint earlier in the week with triceps tendinitis,
but he threw on the field Saturday with no problems. . Detroit manager Jim
Leyland said he expects OF Austin Jackson (strained right hamstring) to return
from the disabled list when he is eligible May 27. . Kinsler missed his second
straight game with bruised ribs, an injury that was aggravated after he was hit
by a pitch from Verlander on Thursday night.
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