Blue Jays Preview: Red Sox in the way of Toronto’s momentum

Game 3:  Sunday, April 17th  –  1:35 p.m. ET

Aaron Sanchez (0-0, 1.35 ERA)
Steven Wright (0-1, 1.35 ERA)

Consider this “Test 2: Part 2” for Aaron Sanchez.

The young right-hander was dominant in his first start against the Tampa Bay Rays, pitching 7.0 full innings of one-run ball with five hits, eight strikeouts, and zero walks.

His most recent start against the Yankees wasn’t quite as sharp, but Sanchez still put the Blue Jays exactly where they needed to be with six innings of one-run ball, striking out five.

The primary difference in start number two for Sanchez was his control, and admittedly, he wasn’t helped by a difficult strike zone. He did manage to keep the ball down in the zone for much of his start, but Sanchez fell into old habits with several fastballs drifting high and out of the zone. Thankfully he was able to right his mechanics on the fly.

Wright put up a similar line against the Jays in his first start, throwing 6.2 innings of six-hit ball and allowing just one earned runs while going well over the 100-pitch plateau. The Blue Jays did manage three walks off of Wright, though

The first time around, the Jays had the benefit of a Marco Estrada shutout that they’re unlikely to be able to lean on in round two. If Sanchez can put up a strong outing in his second straight matchup against some strong lefty bats, then it’s time to consider his start “for real”.

Next: Game 4: Happ looks to continue his hot start