Anibal Sanchez called up by Detroit Tigers, to start Monday in Seattle Sanchez has had a 4.60 ERA in four starts at Toledo; Farmer sent down to make room

Mark Snyder | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Tigers miss a big opportunity with disappointing home stand Free Press sports writer Mark Snyder summarizes the Tigers' 9-1 loss to the Rays Sunday, closing out a 2-4 home stand before heading west.

The Detroit Tigers are making a surprising move.

Pitcher Anibal Sanchez, who struggled in his time at Detroit this year, will start Monday night in Seattle against the Mariners, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus announced today.

Sanchez has spent the past few weeks a Triple-A Toledo, where in four starts he has an 0-2 record and a 4.60 ERA.

"He's pitched pretty well and he accepted that assignment, so he could take another shot at starting, so we'll see," Ausmus said. "He's been throwing the ball well, good change-up, velocity's been up to 93 (m.p.h.)."

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After today's game, the Tigers announced that right-handed starter Buck Farmer would be sent to Triple-A Toledo to make room for Sanchez. Farmer allowed seven earned runs on five hits and a walk in just 2⅓ innings in today's 9-1 loss to the Rays.

Sanchez has dealt with a minor hamstring problem in Toledo, but Ausmus said that's in the past. He will be able to approach 100 pitches without restriction, having gotten into the 80s in Toledo.

Though he hasn't thrown more than five innings in any of his four Toledo starts, three of them he allowed two runs or fewer. Though Ausmus insisted there was no specific reason Monday was chosen for Sanchez's start, he said it was more an issue of building his pitch count in Toledo.

Transitioning from a reliever in his earlier Tigers stint this year back to a starter, took a few outings to get that comfort level back with his arm.

That was a substantial improvement from his work out of the bullpen for Detroit earlier this year. In 11 games this season for the Tigers before accepting the demotion, Sanchez has a 9.00 ERA and allowed nine home runs in 21 innings.

Sanchez isn't currently on the Tigers' roster, but will be added for Monday. The Tigers could have carried six starters, as Ausmus said before Sunday's game, even though no one is injured. But Buck Farmer's struggles in the 9-1 loss made him an obvious candidate to be sent down for Sanchez.

There may be multiple motivations for the move. With Sanchez making $16.8 million this year — with a team option for next year — but also a $5-million buyout clause, the Tigers want to see if he can contribute and regain his previous form.

But six weeks away from the trade deadline, if Sanchez is an effective starter, other teams may be watching as well.

Since leading the American League in ERA in 2013, Sanchez has steadily regressed, with his ERA rising each season and last year's 7-13 record with a 5.87 ERA being the bottom.

Last season was the first since his emergence that Sanchez wasn't a full-time starter.

Making his first big-league start this season could show whether he can handle the role. The Tigers feel they've seen enough on the Triple-A stage.

Contact Mark Snyder: msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark__snyder.

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