His right calf was cramping and would’ve made it extremely difficult to keep pitching, but Braves veteran Anibal Sanchez said he nonetheless hated leaving Tuesday night’s game against the Reds in the fifth inning.
The Braves trailed 2-1 at the time and went on to lose, 5-3, in the fourth consecutive game in which their starter pitched five or fewer innings and a weary bullpen had to cover a lot of innings.
“I don’t like to come out of the game like that,” said Sanchez, whose said he felt good by the end of the game and didn’t anticipate any lingering effects. “I know tomorrow’s going to be probably massage, loosen those muscles. I’m going to be fine for my next start.”
Braves manager Brian Snitker said Sanchez initially tried to stay in the game, but that it was apparent he wouldn’t be able to push off the mound until his right calf loosened up.
“I haven’t talked to the trainers yet, but I would think if it was just cramping, he should be fine (to make his next start),” Snitker said.
Sanchez, 34, said he also had cramping more than once when he pitched for the Marlins during home games in humid South Florida.
“Those things happen probably (because) of weather, too much sweat, I don’t know,” he said. “It’s a lot of things that can happen. I was talking to the trainer about what I did today. I think I ate good and drank enough water. I think it was weather, maybe a couple more throws with extra effort. I don’t know.”
Sanchez, in his first season with the Braves, strained his right hamstring while doing sprints in the outfield before an April 18 game and didn’t return from the disabled list until May 29.
He has been a pleasant surprise since signing a minor-league contract late in spring training. He was 3-1 with a 2.55 ERA in eight games (seven starts) before Tuesday, when he allowed five hits, two runs and one walk with five strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.
Pitching on a warm, humid night at SunTrust Park, Sanchez recorded his second out of the fifth inning on a fly-out and threw one pitch to the next batter, Joey Votto, before motioning to the plate umpire that there was a problem and he needed a moment.
“I felt just felt a cramp on the last pitch that I threw to Votto,” he said. “When I tried to throw another one it was really hard. I couldn’t push anymore after that, so I didn’t want to take the risk just to stay in the game.”
Braves catcher Tyler Flowers said, “First I was thinking the worst, then I heard him say that it was more just a cramping kind of thing. So that’s good news. Hopefully that’s it; just another Georgia hot, humid night.”
After Snitker and assistant trainer Andrew Hauser came out to check on him, Sanchez briefly tried to loosen his calf to no avail and left the field.
Though his situation doesn’t appear to be serious and should not cause him to miss any time, nagging injuries have started to mount for the Braves pitching staff.
If they were to lose another starter for any length at this point, it’s possible the Braves would consider calling up prospect Kolby Allard, who’s 5-3 with a 2.60 ERA in 14 starts at Triple-A Gwinnett. The 20-year-old lefty also pitched Tuesday night, allowing four hits, three runs and two walks with eight strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings of a loss at Norfolk.
The Braves have rookie lefty Luiz Gohara back at Gwinnett getting stretched out to start again after pitching out of the Braves bullpen earlier this season.
The Braves put rookie starter Mike Soroka on the 10-day DL last week with rotator-cuff inflammation in his pitching shoulder. It’s the prized prospect’s second stint on the DL for that condition this season and the Braves will be careful not to bring him back too soon.
Soroka, 20, is in shut-down mode right now and won’t resume throwing until inflammation is completely gone.
Mike Foltynewicz, who’s been one of the Braves’ best two starters this season (along with Sean Newcomb) just returned Monday from a stint on the 10-day DL for tightness in the triceps muscle of his pitching arm.
