Phillies need Sánchez at top form against O's ahead of Deadline

BALTIMORE -- Cristopher Sánchez’s 2026 numbers have put him in contention for the NL Cy Young Award again.

But he hasn’t been pitching like a contender lately.

The Phillies need him to start on Saturday night against the Orioles at Camden Yards. Sánchez is 13-4 with a 2.73 ERA in 22 starts this season. He is tied with Boston’s Sonny Gray for the Major League lead in wins and his bWAR (5.5) is the highest in the league for a qualified starting pitcher.

Entering Friday, he is tied for second in strikeouts (157) and he is seventh in ERA in the National League. Sánchez had a 50 2/3-innings scoreless streak earlier this season, which is the fifth-longest single-season scoreless streak since at least 1893 (when the mound was moved to its current distance). He started the All-Star Game for the National League last month at Citizens Bank Park.

But Sánchez has a 4.82 ERA in nine starts since his scoreless streak ended on June 3. He had a 6.65 ERA in four starts in July, although he has pitched relatively better in his two starts since the break (3.97 ERA). But for the Phillies to climb out of their recent 3-9 skid, they will need a better version of Sánchez moving forward.

Sánchez allowed two runs in seven innings in his only career start against the Orioles in 2023.