TORONTO – As Curtis Granderson fell backwards onto the left-field warning track Wednesday, he wasn’t sure whether the ball he had just jumped for had touched the outfield wall or just his glove, but once he saw it falling along with him, he had no doubt about what to do next.
“The only thing I’m thinking is ‘try to catch it,’” Granderson said. “As I see the ball in the air, I’m trying to field it, because one way or another the ball’s still going to be in play, so if it does hit off me and bounce away, then obviously the (baserunners) are going to be able to advance. If I catch it, I get it in and keep the runners at bay.”
Granderson did catch the ball, as he fell to the ground, and for a moment the Blue Jays looked to have stifled a White Sox rally. Upon review, however, the ball had also touched the wall when Granderson first leapt for it, making it a ball in play. Each of Chicago’s three runners advanced 90 feet on what was officially ruled a Yoan Moncada single, and when Aaron Sanchez hit the next hitter, the White Sox had a 3-1 lead.
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“In real time it looked like it tipped off my glove and I had a chance to catch it, but as you slow it down and you get the chance to see it, it hit the fence first,” Granderson said. “Therefore it’s a playable ball.”
No sweep for the Blue Jays, then, and they’ll instead leave for their first road trip of the season with a respectable 4-3 record. They had their chances against a weak White Sox team, but their offence didn’t provide an effective Sanchez with much support.
“I like the way we’re playing,” manager John Gibbons said. “I thought it was a pretty good homestand … I think we’ve been playing a good brand of baseball. We’ve been swinging the bats. If a couple of key guys in that lineup get some things going, we’ll be that much better.”
By and large Sanchez pitched well in his second start of the season. The 25-year-old allowed three runs over his six innings of work, walking two while striking out seven.
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Sanchez continued relying heavily on his change-up Wednesday, and understandably so given the trouble White Sox hitters had with it. The right-hander consistently located the pitch down in the zone and Chicago’s hitters swung through 10 of the 31 changes they saw.
Sanchez has typically used his curveball as his primary off-speed pitch to this point in his career, but if his first two starts are any indication, that pattern could be shifting. Where Sanchez once threw twice as many curves as change-ups, he’s now throwing three times as many changes as curves.
| Year | change-up % | curve % |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 9.1 | 16.2 |
| 2017 | 6.5 | 16.6 |
| 2018 | 25.7 | 7.5 |
From Sanchez’s perspective, it’s simply a better pitch now than it’s been in years past.
“In ‘16 I thought it was average,” Sanchez said. “I think it’s leaps and bounds (ahead) compared to where it was, and I feel like it’s only going to get better the more I use it, which is good for me.”
The sample’s small, of course, and the Blue Jays will adjust their game plan depending on their opponent. When the situation demands curves, that weapon still exists for Sanchez. But based on what we’re seeing so far, the pitch seems more effective than before, and he’s more willing than ever to use it.
“I knew it was going to be effective today just by watching the last two games,” Sanchez said. “Super-aggressive team. I know I throw a lot of heaters, so I knew it’d be something to equalize.”
And once it’s apparent the pitch is working, Blue Jays catchers will keep calling for it.
“He’s been using it a lot because of that (effectiveness),” Gibbons said. “A lot of guys, they slow down their arm. You can’t tell any difference on his. It’s the same arm speed. That’s big. Eventually he’ll be able to kill it a little more with less velocity, which will probably make it even better.”
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At the plate, the Blue Jays didn’t do much against starter Carson Fulmer and the White Sox bullpen. Martin drove home Justin Smoak with a groundout to get the Blue Jays on the board in the fourth inning, and they rallied for two more in the sixth with RBI singles from pinch-hitter Steve Pearce and Kendrys Morales. Otherwise, their bats were quiet.
Defensively there were some positives for the Blue Jays, as Josh Donaldson handled third base without any issues and Gift Ngoepe showed off some slick defence at short. Ngoepe started in place of Aledmys Diaz, who took the night off after experiencing back spasms in Tuesday’s game. Diaz took batting practice and was available if needed Wednesday, so the Blue Jays are hopeful he can return to the lineup Friday against the Rangers.
In the meantime, they’ll enjoy their first off day of the season in Texas after a solid first week at home.
“You’d love to win all of them, but so does everybody else,” Granderson said. “To be in this situation where we split (against the Yankees) and win the second series, I think it’s a good way to head onto the road.”
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