Sanchez will start Game 4 of the NLCS on Friday against the Diamondbacks, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Taijuan Walker was the presumed starter for Game 4, but Sanchez will instead get the ball in a pivotal matchup. Sanchez pitched well during the regular season, maintaining a 3.44 ERA with a 20.2 K-BB% across 99.1 innings. He has yet to appear in a postseason contest during his career.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Possible waiver wire pickups
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Cristopher Sanchez's seven-inning gem Sunday against the Mets marked the second time in three starts that he recorded 10 strikeouts, which shows that the first time (against the Braves, actually) wasn't a fluke. But just as important is the fact he lasted seven innings. There was talk after the first 10-strikeout effort that he would share his starts with Michael Lorenzen moving forward, which might limit him to four innings at a time, and indeed, he lasted only four innings in the one start in between the two 10-strikeout efforts. But he also wasn't pitching so well in that one, which is just as plausible of an explanation for his early removal. Sunday's outing would seem to confirm it, in fact. If there are no artificial limitations on his workload, why shouldn't we start Sanchez against the Mets again next time out? He's an elite strike-thrower and ground-ball generator who's showing newfound swing-and-miss ability with a wipeout changeup.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Punches out 10 in win
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Sanchez (3-5) allowed two runs on three hits and a walk over seven innings Sunday, striking out 10 and earning a win over the Mets.
Sanchez kept the Mets off the board until Ronny Mauricio belted a two-run shot in the sixth inning. Sanchez forced 20 whiffs for the second time this month; prior to racking up 21 swinging strikes against Atlanta on Sept. 13, his season high was just 12. He's been shaky since the start of August, posting a 4.24 ERA in nine starts, but he's recorded a strong 54:8 K:BB during that stretch. Sanchez will carry a 3.48 ERA into his next start, which is currently lined up to be on the road against the Mets.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Set for tandem start
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Sanchez is expected to be piggybacked by Michael Lorenzen in his next scheduled start Tuesday in Atlanta, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
With the Phillies likely to pare down their six-man rotation to five as the regular season winds down, Lorenzen looks set to make his first appearance as a reliever since the 2021 season. Sanchez will keep his rotation spot over Lorenzen for now, but both pitchers could be moved to the bullpen once the postseason begins. With manager Rob Thomson not clarifying exactly how long he plans to have Sanchez work before giving way to Lorenzen, Sanchez could struggle to reach the five innings he would need to qualify for a win. Sanchez would tentatively line up for his second start of the week next Sunday against the Mets, but he could be piggybacked by Lorenzen for that game, too.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Possible waiver wire pickups
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What makes Sanchez's career-high 10 strikeouts Wednesday all the more impressive is that they came against the historic pitcher demolition crew that is the Braves lineup. Sure, he served up a couple home runs, leading to four earned runs total, but he lasted beyond seven innings for the first time ever and just kept racking up whiffs. His velocity was up about 1.5 mph across the board, and he threw his changeup 49 percent of the time instead of the usual 30 percent, collecting 18 swinging strikes on it alone. If he turns out to be some measure of bat-misser to go along with his elite ground-ball rate, then his upside is high indeed. The one concern for him heading into a two-turn week is that there's been talk of him piggybacking with Michael Lorenzen, presumably with Sanchez taking the early innings, so his outings may be limited moving forward. Still, he's likely to show up in my sleeper pitchers for Week 26.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Goes five scoreless in no-decision
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Sanchez did not factor into the decision Friday, allowing four hits and one walk over five scoreless innings against Miami. He struck out four.
He had an eight-day layoff after his previous start, but the extra rest did him good. Sanchez kept the Marlins off the board and left the game in line for the win. However, the Phillies' bullpen allowed three runs to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Sanchez has now allowed two or fewer runs in 10 of his 15 outings this season. He'll carry an ERA of 3.26 into his next start, currently scheduled to take place mid-week in an important home series against Atlanta.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Struggles in no-decision
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Sanchez did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits over 4.2 innings against the Angels. He struck out five.
It looked like Sanchez had found his rhythm after giving up a two-run homer to Hunter Renfroe in the top of the second as the left-hander followed up the mistake by hurling two scoreless frames. However, things unraveled for him in the fifth after he allowed back-to-back hits to open the inning, which then led to three runs coming across for Los Angeles. Sanchez had gone six innings in three straight starts coming in and it was the first time he failed to make it through at least five frames since June 17. On a positive note, he has not issued a walk in each of his last three outings and has now recorded at least five strikeouts in five straight.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
What stands out most about Sanchez's start Friday against the Cardinals is how little it stands out at all. It was his third in a row with almost the exact same stat line (six innings, two earned runs, about a strikeout per), and in fact, only twice in his past 10 starts has he allowed more than two earned runs. The consistency is pretty easy to explain. His 57.6 percent ground-ball rate would rank second to Logan Webb if he had the innings to qualify, and his 4.3 percent walk rate would rank fifth, also behind Webb. Come to think of it, his strikeout rate is also on par with Webb. He's basically Logan Webb! It's of course too early to conclude that for a rookie whose minor-league track record is nothing to write home about, but it's not too early to make a play for Sanchez in Fantasy.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Quality start leads to second win
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Sanchez (2-3) earned the win Friday, allowing two runs on five hits and zero walks over six innings against St. Louis. He struck out six.
Sanchez dug a hole early, allowing a two-run homer to Paul Goldschmidt in the first inning, but he then settled down and didn't allow another run the remainder of his outing. Sanchez has provided quality innings for the Phillies this year, allowing three or fewer runs in 12 of 13 starts. He'll take a 3.33 ERA into his next start, which is currently scheduled to take place Wednesday afternoon at home against the Angels.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Possible waiver wire pickups
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Sanchez didn't look like anything special coming out of Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he had a 4.35 ERA and 1.45 WHIP, but so far, he can do no wrong in the majors. He put that hypothesis to the test Sunday, no-hitting the Pirates over five innings to bring his ERA down to 2.66 and his WHIP down to 0.91. His 55 percent ground-ball rate speaks to his ability to avoid damage on contact, but that ability was evident in the minors as well. More notable is that he's issued 1.5 BB/9 during his time in the majors compared to 5.3 BB/9 at Triple-A and 4.2 BB/9 over his minor-league career. That sort of about-face still seems too good to be true even nine starts in, but if it is true, Sanchez might be able to make another Ranger Suarez-level impact.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Throws five no-hit innings
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Sanchez did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing two walks over five hitless innings against the Pirates. He struck out three.
Sanchez also hit three batters before departing the game after five innings without allowing a hit. The 26-year-old left-hander has still yet to earn a win this season despite pitching to a 2.12 ERA over his last six starts. Overall, Sanchez is 0-3 with a 2.66 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 41:8 K:BB across nine starts (47.1 innings) this season. He'll look to get in the win column in his next outing, currently scheduled for next week against Kansas City.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Settles for no-decision Wednesday
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Sanchez didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Brewers, giving up three runs (one earned) on six hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out three.
An Edmundo Sosa error in the second inning contributed to a three-run inning for Milwaukee, but Sanchez otherwise held the Brewers in check and saw his offense tie the game up before he left the mound. The southpaw has worked at least five innings and allowed three runs or fewer in five straight starts, posting a 3.00 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 20:3 K:BB through 27 innings over that stretch as he helps steady the back of the Phillies' rotation. Sanchez's next outing lines up at home early next week against the Orioles.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Downed by Padres
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Sanchez (0-3) took the loss Friday, allowing three runs on three hits and one walk over five innings against the Padres. He struck out five.
The lefty came into this one riding high, having posted a 2.84 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 22:4 K:BB over his first five starts for the Phillies this season (25.1 innings). He was brought down a peg Friday, though it was still a respectable showing, with all the damage being done on a pair of long balls. Sanchez has some streaming appeal, but he'll likely need to keep performing at this level in order to maintain his starting job after the trade deadline. The Phillies are in the mix for a wild-card spot and could add a starting pitcher.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Set for Friday's start
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Sanchez (hand) is set to take his next scheduled turn in the Phillies rotation Friday against the Mets, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Sanchez took a comebacker off his left hand Saturday in Oakland, but X-rays turned up clean for any structural damage and he'll be ready to toe the slab in Friday's series opener. The 26-year-old southpaw has pitched to a 3.24 ERA with 10 strikeouts through two major-league starts (8.1 innings) this season for Philly.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: On track for next start
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Sanchez is dealing with some soreness in his left hand but is expected to make his next turn through the rotation Friday versus the Mets, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The 26-year-old exited Saturday's outing in Oakland after being struck by a comebacker, but he appears to have avoided a notable injury with X-rays coming back negative. The Phillies have a scheduled day off Monday, so Sanchez could also be pushed back in the rotation a couple days without the team needing to add another starter.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Promoted ahead of start
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The Phillies recalled Sanchez from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Sanchez will be making his second major-league start of the season Saturday against Oakland. The 26-year-old lefty surrendered three earned runs on five hits while striking out five batters over the course of 4.1 frames in his first start against the Rockies in April. He also holds a 1.50 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across his last three minor-league starts, so it's possible his momentum carries over into the bigs. Luis Ortiz was optioned to Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Confirmed for start Saturday
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Sanchez will be called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start Saturday's game versus the Athletics, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The left-hander has registered an uninspiring 4.35 ERA, 44:29 K:BB and 1.45 WHIP over 49.2 innings in the minors this season, but he draws a favorable landing spot for his second big-league start of the season versus the basement-dwelling Athletics. In his previous outing with the Phillies on April 22, Sanchez gave up three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five over 4.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Rockies.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Could be promoted Saturday
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Sanchez could be called up to start for the Phillies on Saturday at Oakland, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Sanchez is no longer listed in the rotation at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, so he's probably getting promoted in some capacity. The 26-year-old left-hander missed the first three weeks of the 2023 season due to a triceps strain and has since registered a 4.35 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 44:29 K:BB across 49.2 innings in the International League.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: On track to start Saturday
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Sanchez (triceps) will be activated from the 15-day injured list to start Saturday's game against the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Due to a postponement Monday that created a doubleheader with the White Sox on Tuesday, the Phillies will have a need for a temporary sixth starter Saturday, when the team plays its sixth game in five days. Sanchez, who has spent all season on the IL while recovering from a left triceps strain, will step in to fill the opening. In his second rehab start last Sunday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Sanchez built up to 4.2 innings, striking out five while allowing one earned run on three hits and two walks.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Makes second rehab appearance
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Sanchez (triceps) covered 4.2 innings in his second rehab appearance for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday, striking out five while allowing one earned run on three hits and two walks.
Though he opened the season on the 15-day injured list with a left triceps strain, Sanchez may have faced an uphill battle to win a spot on the Phillies' pitching staff even if he had closed camp at full health. However, after having looked sharp in both of his two rehab outings and building up to 75 pitches in Sunday's start, Sanchez could now find himself in the mix for a rotation spot with the big club with Ranger Suarez (forearm) still on the shelf and Matt Strahm day-to-day with a thumb injury. At the very least, the Phillies will have a need for a sixth starter this week due to Tuesday's doubleheader, so Sanchez could be a candidate to return from the IL to pitch Friday or Saturday versus the Rockies in Philadelphia.
