Sanchez shows he belongs

Wednesday, in his fifth start with Lancaster, Sanchez completed an impressive about-face with a dominating eight-inning performance, beating Visalia, 3-1, to earn his first JetHawks victory.

"When a guy can go out like that and just stop a club's offense for eight innings, that's the kind of guy you put on the 40-man," JetHawks pitching coach Mike Parrott said. "When he first got here, his timing and delivery were not quite in sync. He might have been a little timid about the injury."

Visalia's only run - unearned - came in the eighth inning, on an error, a stolen base, a passed ball and a groundout.

The JetHawks scored all three runs in the third inning. Billy Martin and Cedrick Harris hit run-scoring singles, and Matt Kata scored on an error. Sanchez made it stand, and Jay Belflower pitched the ninth for his eighth save.

Sanchez started the season in Class-AA El Paso before suffering shoulder pain. He returned to extended spring training, then came to Lancaster.

"Before, when I first got out here, I didn't feel 100 percent," Sanchez said. "I felt like I never pitched in my life those first two starts. The last two games, I feel 100 percent."

In those first two starts, Sanchez allowed 12 runs in 9 innings. In his last two, he's allowed one earned run in 16 innings and held opposing hitters to a .200 average.

Wednesday, Sanchez (1-2) used his fastball - which touched 99 miles per hour - to get ahead of hitters, and complemented it with a sharp slider. He didn't have great feel for his change-up, but his slider made up for it.

"Tonight," he said, "everything felt perfect."

He hit one batter and walked none, while striking out six in eight innings. Visalia never sent more than four batters to the plate in an inning against Sanchez, and only three runners reached scoring position the entire game.

"He got ahead of hitters, he kept the leadoff hitters off base, and he went right after everyone," JetHawks manager Scott Coolbaugh said.

The JetHawks lone rally off Visalia starter Wayne Nix came in the third, with the help of one of Visalia's three errors.

Kata opened the inning with a double, and Brian Gordon tried to bunt Kata to third. But Nix fielded the bunt and threw the ball down the right-field line. Kata scored and Gordon raced all the way to third.

Martin, Jeff Waldron and Harris hit three more singles, giving the JetHawks the 3-0 lead.

"He lost a little bit of his location in that inning, and we were able to get to him," Coolbaugh said. "When you have two quality pitchers out there putting up zeroes, you've got to take advantage of anything they give you."

Nix (9-6) allowed three runs, two earned, on nine hits in six innings. He struck out eight Lancaster batters and walked none.

It was a good performance, but not good enough to beat Sanchez, who felt his start was impressive enough to earn a promotion.

"I want to go to double-A," Sanchez said. "They see me, they know I can pitch there. At the beginning of the season, I didn't feel it. Now I feel it."

Sanchez said he expects his next start to come in El Paso, but Parrott doesn't see it. Parrott hasn't heard any talk of a promotion, and doesn't see the need for it.

"Why not let him stay where he's having some success?" Parrott said. "But the way he pitched tonight, he can pitch that way with the same results in double-A."

Uploaded August 9, 2001