Detroit Tigers right-hander Anibal Sanchez, on the disabled list since Aug. 10 because of a strained pectoral muscle, may be inching closer to a return.
According to Jason Beck of MLB.com, Sanchez will throw long toss on Sunday and, if all goes well, will throw off a mound on Monday:
Sanchez will throw another long-tossing session Sunday. Mound session Monday if things go well. Just throwing off mound, no hitters yet.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) September 13, 2014
The 30-year-old Sanchez was 8-5 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.096 WHIP in 21 starts and 125 innings for the Tigers before he was sidelined, striking out 102 hitters.
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He led the American League with a 2.57 ERA in 2013 and matched a career high with 202 strikeouts in 182 innings.
The Tigers tried right-hander Buck Farmer in Sanchez’s spot in the rotation for a pair of starts, but the 23-year-old was rocked for 11 runs in 6.1 innings over those two appearances—a not-so-nifty ERA of 15.63.
Kyle Lobstein has made four starts since Farmer was dropped from the rotation, including allowing four runs on six hits in five innings to the Cleveland Indians Saturday night.
After that start, Lobstein has a 3.27 ERA and 1.182 WHIP in those four starts.
Coming into Saturday, the Tigers held a half-game lead over the Kansas City Royals and were 4½ games up on the Indians in the American League Central.