PHILADELPHIA – Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez hadn’t been his best in his previous two starts, allowing 11 hits last week in five innings against the Giants, and walking four batters earlier this month in 5 1/3 innings against the Nationals.
He looked better in Monday night’s 13-7 victory over the Cubs at Citizens Bank Park, but he still isn’t where he wants to be. He allowed six hits, two runs, three walks and struck out eight in six innings.
“It can be better,” he said via the team’s interpreter. “It can get better. The changeup can definitely be better. The good thing is I’m coming into my sinker, so it’s helping a lot. And my slider is good, so I’m able to throw those pitches even if my changeup is a little [off].”
He loaded the bases with one out in the second inning, then struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong on three pitches, and got Matt Shaw to ground out on a changeup to end the threat. Sánchez allowed a two-run home run to Dansby Swanson in the fourth inning to cut the Phillies’ lead to 4-2, but then he struck out Miguel Amaya, Crow-Armstrong and Shaw swinging on just 10 pitches. He got all three on changeups.
Sánchez appeared to look toward the Cubs’ dugout afterward.
“Nothing behind it,” he said “I just look anywhere. They know why I looked in that direction. Nothing behind it.”
An error and a walk put two on with one out in the fifth, but Sánchez got Ian Happ to hit into an inning-ending double play.
Sánchez made a Ranger Suarez-like play to catch Swanson’s chopper back to the mound in the sixth.
He left the game with a 2.01 ERA.
“There’s a reason he has the contract he’s got and has had the success he’s had,” Swanson said. “Just a really elite-level sinker-changeup combination. You just combine that with the ability to execute at the bottom of the zone consistently, and able to change speeds and kind of keep you off balance at times. It’s definitely a unique arm. He’s been good for a while now. We kind of gave ourselves some chances, but weren’t ultimately able to come through with the big hit.”