Blue Jays face Giants in Interleague clash: Full series preview

Game 1:  Monday, May 9th  –  10:15 p.m.

Aaron Sanchez (2-1, 2.82 ERA)  vs.
Jake Peavy (1-3, 9.00 ERA)

No longer the pitcher of his San Diego Padres days, the 34-year-old Peavy has gotten off to an awfully rough start in 2016 with the Giants. In his first six games of the season, Peavy has allowed four or more runs five different times.

His last two starts have been especially difficult. On April 29th against the New York Mets, Peavy allowed six runs in just two innings of work as his control completely abandoned him (five walks). Last time out against the Cincinnati Reds, he allowed seven earned runs on eight hits over six innings pitched, but did manage an 8:1 K:BB rate.

Much of this can be traced to his velocity, which has taken a dip across the board through the first month of the season.

Peavy’s fastball is averaging 88.7 MPH, down from 90.1 MPH last year with the Giants. Peavy will throw a four-seamer, two-seamer, and cutter. He’s also been struggling to find success with his curveball, a pitch he’s thrown 15.6% of the time.

Sanchez, on the other hand, is coming off another very strong outing for the Blue Jays. It was a critical start for the young right-hander, too, because he made things work without having his best stuff.

Over seven innings against the Texas Rangers, Sanchez allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out five. That came after a seven-inning shutout against the Tampa Bay Rays, distancing Sanchez from his rough outing against Oakland.

Across his entire major league and minor league career, Sanchez has yet to take an at-bat. Perhaps those long arms will give him some added plate coverage versus Peavy…

Next: Game 2 Preview: 4-0 Happ versus the 0-4 Cain