Sanchez shows signs of being ready sooner

He may not make the season opener, but could play in the team's first series.
BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) -- Sore knee or not, Freddy Sanchez couldn't help himself.
As the Pittsburgh Pirates infielder ran out a routine ground ball in a minor league intrasquad game Thursday, third baseman Mike Edwards' throw nearly sailed over first baseman Yurendell DeCaster's head. Instinctively, Sanchez slid headfirst into the bag, creating a cloud of dirt as he tried hustling his way onto base.
In a nearby observation tower, Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield and manager Jim Tracy must have held their breath for a second.
"The guy knows only one speed -- it didn't surprise me," Tracy said.
Sanchez popped up quickly, his uniform pants dirty but his right knee healthy, a promising sign for the Pirates as opening day approaches.
"I saw the ball up and I wanted to get on base," Sanchez said after going 2-for-8 in the camp game, the first time he ran the bases and played in the field since getting hurt March 6. "Instincts take over.
"You just hit a ball and go. Anybody that knows me knows I'm not going to be tentative and baby it. I just tried to get out there and push it."
Chances increasing
Sanchez, last year's NL batting champion with a .344 average, felt he did that successfully -- increasing the chances he may be able to play in the Pirates' opening series that starts Monday in Houston.
He may not be ready to face the Astros' Roy Oswalt in the opener, given his lack of at-bats against major league pitching this month, but he is much further along than he was several days ago.
"Everything was good," Sanchez said. "Obviously there's going to be some pain and discomfort, a little tweak here, a little tweak there, but I've got to get over that stage."
Sanchez plans to keep doing more each day, which means he possibly could be used as a designated hitter on Saturday against the Twins in Fort Myers.
It is looking less likely he might start the season on the disabled list, even though he could return the first week of the season even if he did.
"I'm right where I wanted to be," said Sanchez, who sprained his right medial collateral ligament turning a double play March 6.
Bothered by brace
While he looked a little slow going for a ground ball hit his way in the intrasquad game against Pirates farmhands, possibly because of the protective brace he wore, Sanchez looked loose and comfortable at the plate and on the bases. He went 2-for-8 with several other line-drive outs, hitting the ball hard nearly every time up.
The brace didn't arrive in time for Sanchez to wear it during a minor league game Wednesday, when he did nothing but take at-bats. Sanchez didn't appear to like the lightweight brace, and may not wear it Friday when he expects to play in another minor league game.
"If I feel like I can get to more balls without the brace, and it doesn't hurt as bad, that's another step to take," Sanchez said.
There was another benefit to the camp game: Sanchez went against 14-game winner Ian Snell in his first six at-bats, getting hard-hit singles his first two times up. Snell was pitching so he wouldn't face an NL opponent, the Phillies, in an exhibition game so close to the start of the season.
"I knew he was going to throw strikes, he's a top-notch big league pitcher, and that's why I wanted to face him because that's what you're going to get," Sanchez said. "It definitely helped."
Snell, pitching for the last time before he starts Tuesday in Houston, gave up five hits in one inning before finishing with four strong innings, allowing three runs, two earned.
"You come down in these minor league games, and they're ready to hack," Snell said. "You get your work in and I had a good battle with Freddie, too. It was fun."
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