Sanchez struggles as blister issue resurfaces

TORONTO — Aaron Sanchez picked a bad time to have arguably his worst start of the season, but it appears as though a blister on his right hand played at least some kind of role.

The 24-year-old right-hander was hit hard early and often during Toronto’s 11-8 loss to the Red Sox at Rogers Centre. He matched his career high with six earned runs and the 3 1/3 innings were his shortest since a start vs. the Orioles on April 11, 2015.

He was visited by trainer George Poulis during the fourth to have the blister on his right middle finger examined. He remained in the game for another hitter, but the ailment has been bothering him off and on since Spring Training and it resurfaced early Sunday.

“I don’t want to make excuses,” said Sanchez, who walked four and threw just 40 of his 75 pitches for strikes. “I have to find a way to get deep into the game, but obviously it didn’t help.”

The exact diagnosis for the injury can depend on the day. It has been described as a hot spot, which is considered an area of soreness and irritation. There have been other times when that hot spot turns into a full blister, which is when a small bubble is formed on the skin.

“I think it’s like a little bit of both,” Sanchez said. “At the start of Spring Training, it was a blister. I maybe got it once or twice before the All-Star break and it was a hot spot and then it was a blister again. It’s just one of those things where it comes …

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