The Chicago Cubs might lose 95 games this year. Who knows with this move today, maybe they’ll only lose 90. Or maybe not. The Cubs claimed right-handed pitcher Eduardo Sanchez off waivers from the first place St. Louis Cardinals. Getting a cast off from the front-running Cardinals has got to help, right?
To their credit, the Cubs aren’t in last place. They’re penultimate in the NL Central. The Milwaukee Brewers are behind them.
Sanchez, 24, will be assigned to Triple-A Iowa. He posted no record, one save and a 3.72 ERA in nine relief appearances for Triple-A Memphis this season.
The righthander has spent part of the last two seasons in the big leagues with the Cardinals (2011-12), combining to go 3-2 with five saves and a 3.40 ERA in 43 relief appearances. He has struck out 48 batters in 45.0 innings while limiting opponents to a .166 batting average against. Sanchez has also limited big league hitters to a .310 on-base percentage and a .265 slugging percentage, only a .575 OPS.
Sanchez made his major league debut in 2011 and went 3-1 with five saves and a 1.80 ERA (6 ER/30.0 IP) in 26 relief appearances. Sanchez also split the 2012 season between the majors and minors, going 0-1 with a 6.60 ERA in 17 outings with the Cardinals.
In all or part of eight minor league seasons, Sanchez has gone 14-11 with 46 saves and a 3.45 ERA in 216 appearances, all but seven in relief. It remains to be seen when he’ll be called up to the Cubs.
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