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.
Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Punches out 10 in win
Rotowire
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.
Sanchez (2-5) took the loss Tuesday, allowing three runs on seven hits and a walk over four innings against Atlanta. He struck out two.
It was another rough outing for Sanchez, who's now allowed seven runs on 15 hits in his last two outings (11.1 innings), both against Atlanta. Overall, the 26-year-old southpaw sports a 3.55 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP and 85:15 K:BB across 17 starts (91.1 innings) this season. Sanchez is currently slated for a home matchup with the Mets in his next outing, though he could be set up for another "tandem start" with Michael Lorenzen.
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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Set for tandem start
Rotowire
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.
Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Goes five scoreless in no-decision
Rotowire
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.
Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Struggles in no-decision
Rotowire
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.
Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez: Quality start leads to second win
Rotowire
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.
