Get Used to Watching Sanchez Struggle

The Marlins called up Anibal Sanchez last week in an attempt to improve the back end of their rotation.

Sanchez rehabbed in the minors few weeks ago after recovering from an shoulder injury that took place in May.

Sanchez started against the Braves last Friday night.

He did well by getting in a nice groove after struggling in the first inning, and it was good enough for him to get a victory.

The Marlins gave him the assignment of completing a sweep against the Mets on Thursday afternoon, and he struggled in that game as he took the loss in the Mets' 9-3 victory over the Marlins.

Sanchez struggled with his command from the beginning, and it did not get better as the game went on. He was behind in the count against the hitters in all of the four and two-thirds innings he pitched.

The Mets made him pay for his mistakes by collecting hits off him, and they scored several runs to gain a lead they would not relinquish.

Anyone that thinks Sanchez will all of a sudden be great is fooling themselves.

Deep down, the Marlins know it, too. But what choice do they have?

They need a third starter whon can rack up some wins for them to make the playoffs, and since they don't trust Sean West and Chris Volstad, they are hoping Sanchez can somehow get wins.

The problem, is it's hard to expect anything out of a starter who has been hurt all season.

History shows starters struggle to be effective after coming off surgery, and Sanchez is a good example of that fact.

Sure, Josh Johnson rebounded from the surgery, but he is more the exception than the rule.

Francisco Liriano had a season to remember in 2006. He was winning all of his starts when it was his day to pitch. Then, he suffered an injury late in the summer of 2006.

He tried to pitch in September of that season, but he could not throw a strike, and the Twins eventually shelved him for the season.

Liriano missed the entire 2007 season, and he came back to pitch last year.

He hasn't been the same since.

He has been awful, to say the least. His famous slider has not been the same since the surgery, and it affected his pitching performance.

This year, Liriano has stunk, and he was put on the disabled list for an alleged injury when in reality, the Twins wanted him to take some time off after failing time after time.

It's not far-fetched to compare Liriano's situation to Sanchez's.

It's hard to use a best pitch if the shoulder is not good enough to execute it. Liriano found this out when he could not use that herky-jerky motion of throwing a slider.

Sanchez could have a hard time of maximizing his strengths as a pitcher after what he has gone through.

He may have a nice start once in a while, but he could have more outings like Thursday for the rest of the season—and maybe beyond.

It's too much of a burden for Sanchez to expect him to do well after looking at the history.

What the Marlins need to hope is Volstad or West figure out how to throw the ball well.

It's a given Sanchez won't do much this year, but next year may not be a guarantee that he will be effective, either.