Giving up the home run ball has been a problem for Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez this season. He’s served up 13 long balls this season, tied for the most among AL pitchers. That’s quite a spike for a pitcher who allowed 25 homers combined during his past three seasons.
Facing the Cubs Tuesday night, Sanchez was about to give up home run No. 14 to David Ross. But Rajai Davis helped his starter out with a leaping catch at the left-center field to rob Ross of a two-run homer that would have given the Cubs a 2-1 lead in the second inning. Here’s a clip of the play.
Davis covered some significant ground to make that play, running from dead center field into the left-center field gap and up to the wall. That’s a big chunk of territory at Comerica Park. Perhaps Sanchez should also thank Cubs pitcher Jon Lester for that catch. Against left-handed pitching, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus typically starts Davis in center instead of Anthony Gose. Sanchez might just want to keep getting balls hit to that part of the field when Davis is out there.
Advanced metrics say center field is Davis’ best defensive position. Though it’s still early in the season to get a truly representative sample, he’s been doing a good job for Detroit, saving two runs more than the average defensive center fielder, according to FanGraphs’ Ultimate Zone Rating.
