David Schoenfield, ESPN Senior Writer 8y

Five things we learned Thursday: Jays make right move with Aaron Sanchez

I wrote this and then forgot I wanted to mention Terry Francona's usage of Andrew Miller. So it's kind of six things! The final score was a 9-2 Indians victory over the Twins, but it was still 4-2 in the sixth when Francona brought in Miller with two outs. The main reason wasn't so much to face the weak-hitting Byron Buxton, but to have Miller face hot-hitting Joe Mauer and Max Kepler in the seventh. Nice awareness to not save Miller for the eighth inning, but to use him against the team's best left-handed hitters while the game was still close, and not against the bottom of the order. That's how Miller can be very valuable down the stretch.

The top five:

1. Aaron Sanchez to remain in Blue Jays rotation. The Jays reversed their initial plan and will instead keep the American League's ERA leader in what will be -- for now -- a six-man rotation. "The biggest thing is input from different people after something was more concrete, or closer to it, and the fact that Francisco Liriano was so open to everything," GM Ross Atkins told MLB.com. "Then the more we thought about the potential of a six-man rotation not just benefiting Aaron but benefiting the others in the rotation at this point in the season."

Sanchez's situation is different from what the Nationals faced with Stephen Strasburg in 2012 or the Mets with Matt Harvey last season. Those two were coming off Tommy John surgery. With Sanchez, they're trying to limit his innings increasing so dramatically in one season. He threw 109 1/3 innings last season, including the playoffs, and his career professional high is 133 1/3 in 2014. He's on pace for 209 innings, and that's before getting to the postseason if the Blue Jays make it. Earlier in the day, Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro told MLB Network Radio that while there's no elegant solution to the issue, one thing is definitely off the table: Sanchez is not going to pitch 220 or 230 innings.

In other words, the Blue Jays weren't going to keep Sanchez in a five-man rotation and then use him throughout a potentially long postseason run.

For now, the six-man rotation is the right move. I'd even suggest using a modified rotation where some of the starters stay on a regular schedule, and Sanchez pitches once a week. If he starts every Saturday the rest of the season, that's nine more starts. If you limit him to six innings per start, that's 54 innings, pushing his regular-season total to 193. Skip one start or have a couple of shorter outings (more easily done in September with expanded rosters), and you can cut that down to 185. Even then, you'd be pushing Shapiro's limit if you reach the postseason. If the Jays went all the way to the World Series and Sanchez made one start per series, you're looking at another 15-20 innings, which gets him to 200 to 205. That's not 220, but might be still too many for the Blue Jays' taste.

While you want to protect Sanchez as reasonably as possible since he's an important part of the future, the goal right now is to win a World Series. Players, coaches, executives and fans have invested in that goal, and having Sanchez start is a more valuable resource than using him in the bullpen. Plus, there's no guarantee Sanchez is more likely to stay healthy if goes to the bullpen. Studies have suggested that fastball velocity is a strong predictor for Tommy John surgery. Sanchez's fastball has averaged 94.6 mph this season; last year in relief he averaged 96.2 mph. Who's to say that moving to the bullpen -- and probably throwing harder -- isn't as problematic as throwing 200-plus innings? Nobody really knows, which is why I'd keep Sanchez in the rotation. Be smart and conservative, of course, and then see if he can help you in October.

2. J.A. Happ, man, myth legend. The Blue Jays shut down the Astros again behind Happ to take three out of four in Houston and holding the Astros to five runs in four games.

Most wins since last Aug. 19:

Happ: 22-4

Strasburg: 20-2

Jake Arrieta: 20-5

Cole Hamels: 19-3

3. Did Jordan Zimmermann rush back too soon? The White Sox snapped the Tigers' eight-game winning streak as Zimmermann returned from his DL stint for a neck strain and gave up six runs, including two home runs, in 1 2/3 innings. Now he'll have an MRI on his lat muscle, which Brad Ausmus said bothered him before and during the outing. Hmm. After going 5-0 in his first five starts with a 0.55 ERA, Zimmermann has gone 4-5 with a 6.44 ERA and only 37 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings. That's a $110 million free agent we're talking about.

4. Ji-Man Choi almost hits three home runs for the Angels. Except Coco Crisp did this to him, so he had to settle for two:

5. The champion of the world. Jay Bruce's three-run homer, his first with the Mets, was the difference in a 4-1 win over the Yankees.

Bartolo Colon earned his 10th win, giving him four seasons of double-digit wins since turning 40. The only other pitchers with many such seasons are Phil Niekro (7), Jamie Moyer and Jack Quinn (6), and Randy Johnson and Nolan Ryan (4). Maybe he deserved the belt (not that it would fit).

^ Back to Top ^