Cristopher

Sanchez

There was no Statcast to pin down Sánchez’s obvious velocity gains his first time out, but today’s readings were very encouraging; the left-hander was up by about 2.5 mph from last year on his sinker, changeup and slider, with only his cutter lagging behind. All of his spin rates were better, too. Sánchez was already a top-40 pitcher coming into the spring, but he probably belongs in the top 30 now.

Sanchez allowed only one hit and walked none. There was no Statcast in this one, but The Athletic’s Matt Gelb said Sánchez was up to 97-98 mph on the stadium radar, so that’s something to watch.

What exactly constitutes an emergency is subjective, as one could argue that “lose and you don’t get to play anymore” would qualify. Wheeler will hope he can get the Game 5 start with Ranger Suarez on the bump for the Phillies. While Wheeler won’t be available, Cristopher Sanchez — the Game 2 starter — is expected to be an option for the must-win game.

Sánchez left a pitch down the middle of the plate in the third inning to Mark Vientos, and Vientos had no trouble hitting it out of the park. The left-hander dealt with traffic through most of the start while giving up five hits, but he was able to get out of it — outside of that homer, of course. This will likely be the last start made by Sánchez in the NLDS, but he could be available out of the bullpen in Game 4 or 5, if those games happen.

Sánchez ahead of Aaron Nola is a surprise, but he’s proven to be a tough matchup against the Mets, going 1-0 with a 3.06 ERA in three starts against them this year. The Phillies will presumably use Nola in Game 3 and Ranger Suárez in Game 4.

Sanchez gave up five hits, walked one and struck out four. He allowed a three-run home run to Nico Hoerner. Overall, Sanchez wasn’t efficient with his pitches. He was pulled before he could complete five innings with 94 pitches, which cost him the win in a game the Phillies once led 8-4. Sanchez finished the season with 11-9 with a 3.32 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 153 strikeouts in 181 2/3 innings. It’s the first season for Sanchez with 30 starts and while he’s not quite a strikeout per inning guy, his 3.19 xFIP this year suggests his plus ratios weren’t a fluke.

Sánchez, like David Peterson, was tasked with facing this same Mets lineup for the second straight start and it felt like they were ready for him after putting up two runs in the first inning. Then, he settled in nicely, despite a heap of walks, and hung on just long enough to earn the win. There was one tense moment even after the Phillies built up an 8-2 lead when Sánchez walked Starling Marte and Mark Vientos to load the bases for Pete Alonso. He got tough, struck out Alonso on three pitches, and ended his night on a high note. Sánchez is scheduled to face the Cubs next in his final start of the regular season.

Sánchez is as locked in as any pitcher in the league right now. His seven shut-out innings pushed his scoreless innings streak to 19 before Tyrone Taylor’s late homer broke this 0-0 tie. Still, that one blemish should not dampen this gem. His changeup was lethal forcing nine swings-and-misses and his sinker worked beautifully off of it. He’s pitching like a true ace right now and is lined up to face the Mets again next weekend at Citi Field.

Sanchez gave up four hits, walked one and struck out four. He was in line for the victory before Brandon Lowe’s pinch hit home run that tied the game in the top of the ninth inning. Sanchez has allowed three runs or less in six of his last seven starts and has a a 3.25 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings in that time. He’s 10-9 with a 3.33 ERA and 1.24 WHIP with 135 strikeouts in 165 innings on the year. The 27-year-old left-hander is set to face the Mets at home this weekend.

Sánchez struck out seven and walked none. He has a 23/2 K/BB ratio in his last three starts and is at 131/36 in 159 innings for the year. Next up for him is a start against a Rays team that signed and developed him before trading him to Philadelphia for Curtis Mead after the 2019 season.