Sanchez sharp, Tigers hold on for 3-2 victory over Blue Jays

DETROIT – Anibal Sanchez pitched effectively into the seventh inning, and the Detroit Tigers held on to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Sanchez (2-3), acquired from Miami in a five-player deal last month, allowed one earned run and five hits in 6 2-3 innings. He struck out six and walked two, leaving with the tying run on third base.

Detroit’s bullpen closed the game out. Jose Valverde pitched the ninth for his 25th save in 29 chances and 100th save as a Tiger.

Aaron Laffey (3-5) allowed two earned runs and five hits in six-plus innings. He walked three and struck out two.

The Blue Jays have been held to three or fewer runs for six straight games.

Sanchez and Omar Infante both came over from the Marlins in the same trade, and each played an important role Wednesday. Infante’s triple in the fourth was Detroit’s first hit of the game, and he came home on a wild pitch to make it 1-0.

Sanchez settled in nicely in what may have been his best outing with the Tigers. The right-hander allowed 12 runs in his previous two starts but stayed mostly out of trouble against Toronto.

Jeff Baker’s RBI single in the fifth made it 2-0, but the Blue Jays came back with an unearned run in the sixth. Rajai Davis walked, stole second and went to third on Sanchez’s error on a pickoff throw. He eventually scored on Edwin Encarnacion’s single.

But the Tigers didn’t have a monopoly on poor defence. Toronto shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria’s error allowed Austin Jackson to reach in the bottom of the inning. He was sacrificed to second and came in to score on Prince Fielder’s single.

Davis’ throw home from left field nearly had Jackson, but the ball scooted away from catcher Jeff Mathis as Jackson slid home.

Hechavarria’s sacrifice fly in the seventh made it 3-2, and Sanchez left the game after that. Brayan Villarreal got Davis to ground out to end that threat.

In the eighth, Detroit’s Joaquin Benoit allowed a walk and a single, and an error put runners on second and third with two out. Yorvit Torrealba hit a flyball to centre for the third out.

Omar Vizquel had a pinch-hit single for the Blue Jays in the ninth, but the 45-year-old was thrown out trying to steal second to end the game.

NOTES: Toronto 1B David Cooper left in the sixth with a jammed neck. He is day to day. Mathis came in to catch and Torrealba went to first, playing there for the first time in his career. … Jacob Turner, the key player the Tigers sent to Miami for Sanchez and Infante, allowed three runs in six innings Wednesday in his debut for the Marlins. … Laffey pitched three hitless innings to start the game. He’s holding hitters to a .176 average the first time through the order. … Toronto’s Colby Rasmus went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. He’s in an 0-for-26 slump. … Olympic gymnast Jordyn Wieber threw out a ceremonial first pitch. … Detroit’s Justin Verlander (12-7) starts Thursday against Toronto’s J.A. Happ (2-1). Verlander threw a no-hitter against the Blue Jays last year.