Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
It was a very short night for both Jonathan Sanchez and Clint Hurdle on Friday. The Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher and manager were both ejected just four batters into their game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Sanchez got tossed for throwing near the head of Cardinals’ first baseman Allen Craig. The incident followed home runs by Matt Carpenter and Carlos Beltran and a line drive single by Matt Holliday.
Things have been going pretty well for the Pirates so far in 2013, but Sanchez isn’t one of those things. He has been brutal on the mound and he must have figured that this game was going to be more of the same thing. The frustration got to Sanchez and he buzzed Craig and umpire Tim Timmons was right to toss him. There is no place in the game for headhunters. Of course this hurts the Pirates in the long run because the bullpen had to pitch the whole game, because Sanchez hadn’t even recorded am out yet.
If there is anybody with a brain working in the front office for the Pirates Sanchez will be released before the game on Saturday. The team has some arms coming back from injuries and this guy is just not helping the team in any way and they could use an extra arm in the bullpen for the rest of the series. After Friday’s fiasco Sanchez sports an earned run average of 12.71. A suspension is probably coming his way so let him go and he can become some other team’s problem.
Darren Pare is a Pittsburgh Pirates writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter at dpare71, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
