Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images that goes far beyond a strained groin and far beyond a game that might not have been lost with a little more effort from their 25-year-old catcher.This isn't about a game in July. It's about games in October Authentic Brandin Cooks Jersey , and whether the Yankees can win a championship with him behind the plate."No way they can win in the playoffs with Sanchez catching," one National League scout said Tuesday.I'm not sure I buy that, because Sanchez was the starting catcher for 12 of the 13 games the Yankees played last October, when they took the Houston Astros to Game 7 of the American League Championship Series. They're 35-18 in the 53 games he has started behind the plate this season, which is better than their record in games when he hasn't been the starting catcher (28-17 entering play Tuesday).I do buy that Sanchez's continuing defensive struggles and his issues with concentration and hustle have presented Yankees manager Aaron Boone with the first big issue to solve in what has been an ultra-smooth first season in charge.It's easy to jump on Sanchez this week, because the two lack-of-hustle plays in Monday's 7-6 Yankees loss to the Tampa Bay Rays were so inexcusable鈥攅ven after finding out Sanchez was dealing with the groin issue that sent him back to the disabled list Tuesday. Sanchez allowed a run to score from second base when he didn't move fast enough to recover a passed ball (his 10th of the season, tied for most in the majors). And he was retired at first base for the game's final out, on a play in which the Rays first tried unsuccessfully to get Aaron Hicks at second base.It's easy to jump on Sanchez this year, because his .188 batting average (down from .278 last year) and .699 OPS (down from .876) have made it harder to overlook the transgressions in other parts of his game.It's easy to jump on Sanchez, because on his way through the Yankees farm system he sometimes had similar issues, with the Yankees using benchings, suspensions and "timeouts" to convince him he had to grow up. And because some of the same issues they tried to correct then鈥攃oncentration lapses and poor receiving technique鈥攈ave been so evident this season."What you're seeing now is what we all saw in the minor leagues before 2015," an American League scout said.Sanchez went back on the disabled list Tuesday, but his play remains a major concern for the Yankees.Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesThe Yankees stuck with Sanchez then, believing his strong right arm and powerful bat would make him worth the effort. It helped that despite the benchings and suspensions, Sanchez never had a reputation as a bad kid, just as one who needed to mature.Two years ago, it seemed they were right to wait. Sanchez came to the big leagues and hit 20 home runs in just 53 games http://www.arizonacardinalsteamonline.com/pat-tillman-jersey , including 11 in one stunning 15-game stretch in August.It was easy to love Sanchez in 2016. When I did a story on him that September, I quoted a scout who pointed to Monument Park and said, "That's where he could end up."Then came 2017, when on the one hand Sanchez became just the second catcher born in the Dominican Republic to make an All-Star team (Tony Pena was the first). On the other hand, his defense was enough of an issue that then-Yankees manager Joe Girardi publicly scolded him and even benched him for a game in August.Boone has been more publicly supportive, to the point of telling reporters Tuesday at Tropicana Field that he wouldn't have benched Sanchez for Monday's transgressions. Sanchez didn't play Tuesday, but only because he went back on the disabled list with the recurrence of the groin injury that had already sidelined him for 20 games before he returned over the weekend.To his credit, Sanchez didn't blame his lack of hustle on the sore groin, which he said he felt tighten up on the first-inning passed ball."An injury is never an excuse," Sanchez said, according to George A. King III of the New York Post. "If I'm on the field, I'm good to play. My answer is the same [as Monday]: I could have done a better job."Sanchez hasnt hit as well this year as Judge, but his 14 home runs are tied for first among major league catchers.Paul Bereswill/Getty ImagesEven that wasn't enough for many Yankees fans, or for rival scouts who have grown tired of watching Sanchez mess up over the years."He always owns up to it," one American League scout said. "But then it happens again."Even so, that same scout said, "I'd still take the bat."Four scouts interviewed Tuesday about Sanchez were unanimous in still believing in Sanchez's offensive potential. Some speculated his struggles have come from trying to pull the ball too often, while others wondered whether his problems on defense evolved into a confidence issue that has hurt his offense as well.All agreed the Sanchez problem is a challenging one for the Yankees. Their other young players cause them little concern Authentic Josh Rosen Jersey , with Aaron Judge one of the most respected players in the game and Gleyber Torres fitting in seamlessly after a late-April promotion from the minor leagues.Sanchez is the one who complicates things. He always has been.When it was that way in the minor leagues, the Yankees decided it was worth the aggravation he caused to find out how good a player he could become. They may well decide that again, but after what happened Monday, it's a question they once again must answer. Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.Follow Danny on Twitter and talk baseball. HOUSTON (AP) — Charlie Morton’s start was going to be short; Astros manager A.J. Hinch just didn’t think this short.After noticing a dip in velocity, Morton left Houston’s 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday after one inning because of discomfort in his pitching shoulder. That is a potential problem for the World Series champions, who opened a 4½-game lead over second-place Oakland entering the finakl week as they close in on consecutive AL West titles.“He’s battling,” Hinch said. “This is as long as he’s pitched into a season, obviously, where we’ve kind of nursed him at the end. If it was a playoff game, we could have kept pushing him out there.“He was willing to go back out there. I didn’t love the velocity early, and I didn’t want to risk anything given the situation that we’re in. I think he’ll respond fine.”Morton was not available for comment after the game. The Astros said he left to ballpark to be evaluated by a doctor and then went home to be with his wife, who is expecting a child.Hinch said the Astros planned for Morton to pitch three to four innings.The 34-year-old right-hander did not pitch for the Astros from Aug. 28 until Sept. 8 because of right shoulder discomfort. He won his first two starts following his stint on the disabled list, allowing four runs in 11 innings.Morton threw 24 pitches in the first. He gave up a double to Justin Upton, who scored from second on a wild pitch in the dirt that bounced off the glove of catcher Martin Maldonado, who initially had trouble finding the ball.“We thought it was going to be a little bit of a shorter start for Charlie; it was a little bit shorter than we even expected,” Hinch said.Morton is expected to get another start before the regular season ends, Hinch said and that could come in Baltimore next weekend.Yuli Gurriel hit a two-run homer, giving him three homers and 10 RBIs in the three-game series http://www.arizonacardinalsteamonline.com/josh-rosen-jersey , and Evan Gattis had three hits and two RBIs.“I’m really just happy to help the team at this time especially with the previous games not going so well,” Gurriel said through a translator. “Doing our job is really important for us.”Gurriel hit a two-run homer in the first, extending his hitting streak to nine games, and Gattis added an RBI single for a 3-1 lead.Framber Valdez (4-1) followed Morton and struck out a career-high nine in six innings, allowing one run and three hits. He had been scheduled to start Wednesday at Toronto.“I had a lot of things I needed to improve upon from my previous outings,” Valdez said. “So, I worked on it in the bullpen and my throwing program and working on these things, especially with my mechanics and my command I felt very good coming into the game to be able to apply these into the game today.”Tyler Skaggs (8-9) gave up four runs and five hits in 2 1/3 innings, the fourth straight start he failed to last four innings. Skaggs has given up 22 runs in that span.“Felt good. You know thought I made some good pitches, thought I made some bad pitches,” Skaggs said. “Overall just a rough day. They hit my mistakes and falling behind in the count it’s tough to pitch against a team like this.”Gattis added an RBI single in the fifth off Jim Johnson, and Angels rookie Jose Briceno homered in the sixth. Josh Reddick drew a bases-loaded, four-pitch walk from Williams Jerez in the seventh.TRAINER’S ROOMAngels: OF Mike Trout was given the day off. … INF Jose Fernandez is day to day after being hit by a pitch on the right hand in the first inning of Saturday’s game. Scioscia said the hand is sore … INF Andrelton Simmons left Sunday’s game after jamming his right knee in the seventh inning on a play, according to Scioscia. Simmons said his knee is sore but hopes to be able to play Monday at Texas.Astros: OF George Springer was given the day off. … INF Carlos Correa was held out of the lineup for the fourth straight game.UP NEXTAngels: RHP Felix Pena (3-5, 4.20 ERA) will open a series Monday at Texas.Astros: LHP Dallas Keuchel (11-11, 3.71 ERA) starts Monday’s series opener at Toronto. He has given up 12 runs in his last three starts and is seeking his first win since Sept. 3.