Coming into the Phillies’ series finale against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Thursday afternoon, Cristopher Sánchez boasted a stellar 1.59 ERA. However, that statistic hid the fact that the Philadelphia lefty had frequently been pitching his way out of jam after jam.
In his first five starts of the season, Sánchez had managed to escape significant damage despite putting more runners on base than usual. That luck ran out on Thursday.
Chicago teed off on Sánchez during a three-run third inning, stringing together five consecutive hits. Among them was Michael Busch’s three-run homer — the first time a left-handed batter had taken Sánchez deep this year — which left the Phillies’ scuffling offense facing another early deficit. Sánchez then surrendered a second home run to Ian Happ in the fourth inning. Though he lasted into the sixth, he exited with six earned runs allowed over 5⅓ frames, managing only four strikeouts (a season low) and matching a career high with 12 hits allowed.
The Phillies mounted their best offensive showing of the series, tying the game with a five-run rally late. Nevertheless, their comeback hopes were crushed by Dansby Swanson’s walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning, sealing an 8-7 loss and extending Philadelphia’s losing streak to nine straight games.
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