DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Cristopher Sánchez and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will soon be teammates for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, so perhaps that’s why they shared a laugh on Saturday.
Sánchez threw Guerrero three consecutive sinkers to open their first-inning at-bat in the Phillies’ 7-5 loss to the Blue Jays at TD Ballpark. Sánchez followed those offerings with a changeup, which is one of baseball’s best. Guerrero swung and missed, and they then exchanged glances while laughing.
Guerrero would single on the next pitch, which was a sinker, but Sánchez's changeup was unhittable.
He threw seven changeups in two scoreless innings. The Blue Jays swung and missed at each one.
He brought the good changeup to Dunedin, huh?
“Do you find that weird?” Sánchez said with a smile.
Not at all. Sánchez finished second for the National League Cy Young Award last year after going 13-5 with a 2.50 ERA in 32 starts. It’s why he’s expected to be the Phillies’ Opening Day starter on March 26 against Texas, although no announcement has been made. Sánchez would be the third Phillies pitcher born outside the United States to start on Opening Day in franchise history. The others were Venezuelan Omar Daal in 2001 and Canadian Oscar Judd in 1946.
Zack Wheeler started the previous two, but he is coming back from thoracic outlet decompression surgery. He could be back in early April.
Left-hander Jesús Luzardo and right-handers Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker and Andrew Painter – MLB’s No. 28 prospect, who will make his spring debut on Sunday against the Yankees at BayCare Ballpark – are expected to round out the rotation.
Beyond those six starters, however, the Phillies are thin.
The projected Triple-A Lehigh Valley starters include Jean Cabrera, Tucker Davidson, Alan Rangel and Bryse Wilson. It’s possible the Phillies will add somebody in the coming weeks.
“You’re always looking for more,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said on Saturday. “Some of that could come from within. But we’re still looking outside to see if we can come up with somebody that would fit that category. But I don’t want to get carried away that you’re going to do everything in your power and make a bad trade or something to just do that.”
Toronto this week agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract with Max Scherzer. Other notable free-agent starters available include Lucas Giolito and Zack Littell.
The Phillies weren’t in the market for Scherzer. They’re unlikely to pursue Giolito or Littell, either.
“That’s not a fit for us,” Dombrowski said. “Because the reality is, when Wheeler comes back – and it won’t be too far – well, you don’t even have a spot in the starting rotation at that point. And you don’t have the ability to option a guy like that to the Minor Leagues. We’re looking for more optionable guys than we are [looking for] that. Or somebody who’s on a Triple-A roster that might sign with us. They could be sitting in Triple-A.”
The Phillies’ internal options should get plenty of looks this spring with Sánchez, Nola and Walker expected to miss a start or two because of their commitments to the World Baseball Classic. Nola will pitch for Team Italy, and Walker will pitch for Team Mexico.