The Tigers lost a key of pair pitchers to injuries over the weekend, with starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez and reliever Joakim Soria both suffering injuries at Toronto.
Anibal Sanchez, Joakim Soria placed on DL
Tom Szczerbowski
Sanchez, who left his start mid-inning Friday, has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right pectoral strain and is expected to be out 3-4 weeks, Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski told media (via MLB.com’s Jason Beck). He will officially be placed on the DL on Tuesday, retroactive to his last appearance. That will allow the Tigers to shuffle their bullpen following a 19-inning game Sunday. The Tigers recalled Kevin Whelan and Justin Miller from the minors on Monday. Blaine Hardy and Pat McCoy were optioned. Left-hander Robbie Ray will make a spot start in the rotation.
Soria, who pitched in relief Saturday before feeling the injury on the final pitch of the ninth inning, has a left oblique strain and is expected to be out 2-3 weeks, Dombrowski said. Both injuries can be considered significant setbacks for the Tigers, whose lead over the Royals in the AL Central has shrunk to 1½ games from 7 in a little more than two weeks' time.
The right-handed Sanchez has a 3.53 ERA, good for 22nd best among qualified AL starters. Ray, acquired from the Nationals during the offseason as part of a four-player deal that sent Doug Fister to Washington, has three major league starts under his belt. He allowed one in his 5⅓ inning debut and none in his six-inning follow-up, but he has struggled since that time. In his last game before being sent back to the minor leagues, he allowed seven runs before being chased in the fourth inning. He struggled in June and July in Triple-A ball before allowing one run in seven innings during his most recent start.
Soria, a right-hander acquired by the Tigers from the Rangers in July, struggled out of the chute before settling in in his last three appearances. With the Tigers' bullpen continuing to struggle -- closer Joe Nathan blew his sixth save in 30 attempts Saturday following escaping a bases-loaded situation Friday -- Detroit manager Brad Ausmus needs all the help he can get.
Former Orioles and A's right-handed reliever Jim Johnson signed a minor league deal with Detroit in the past week and will make his second scheduled appearance with Triple-A Toledo on Sunday. He saved 101 games in 2012-13 before falling apart in 2014 with Oakland: an ERA is 7.14 and WHIP of 2.58 in 40 innings on the mound. However, the Tigers may wish to see more of him before assigning him to the majors. In that case, left-hander Ian Krol (4.97 ERA) or right-hander Justin Miller (3.48) -- or both until Ray's start Wednesday -- could make a return to the active roster in the meantime.
Detroit wraps up a three-game series at Toronto Sunday before traveling to Pittsburgh for the first two games of a four-game home-and-home set with the Pirates.
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