Aug. 16, 2011GIANTS PAGEGIANTS VIDEO
CSNBayArea.com staff
Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez sprained his left ankle while fielding a ball in the bottom of the third inning in Atlanta Tuesday, forcing him from the game.
Guillermo Mota was called in from the bullpen to take over on the mound.
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Sanchez came off the mound to field a sacrifice bunt from Atlanta's Randall Delgado and rolled his left ankle when he planted to pick up the ball. As a result, Sanchez fumbled the bunt and twisted to the ground awkwardly to stay with the play and complete the out, throwing on to Mike Fontenot from his backside.
Sanchez is 4-7 with a 4.29 ERA in 18 starts prior to Tuesday's game and has already had one stint on the disabled list this season.
Last season, the inconsistent lefty had a career year, going 13-9 with a 3.07 ERA during the regular season. However, he went 0-2 with a 4.05 ERA in four postseason starts.