Cristopher Sánchez strikes out career-high 12 for Philadelphia Phillies in 6-4 win over Giants
Cristopher Sánchez knew his changeup was on point. He had that feeling long before throwing his first pitch.
"That's my changeup. My changeup has always been good," Sánchez said. "Whenever I have that feeling, I throw it middle away, I throw it down -- that's a good sign."
That changeup led Sánchez to a career-high 12-strikeout performance in Thursday's 6-4 win over the Giants, as the Phillies earned the series split to improve to 11-8 on the season. Sánchez and his changeup were the driving force behind the victory, as 11 of his 12 strikeouts were via the changeup. He had 22 whiffs on his changeup, the most by any pitcher in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). 50 of his 97 pitches were changeups.
"It was very good, yeah," said Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto. "We felt pretty confident calling it (today). He threw it in the right places. Threw it for chase when he needed to. Threw it for strikes on two.
"I kind of feel like it's always there. It's always that good. It's just a matter if he's locating it correctly."
Sánchez went seven innings and threw just 96 pitches, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits. He allowed just one walk with his 12 strikeouts, while lowering his ERA to 2.96.
"He was really good today, and we needed that," said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. "I think he just had it. It was just one of those days where it was coming out of his hand properly and he just had confidence in it."
Sánchez was aided by his offense in the first inning, as the Phillies put up a season-high five runs in the opening frame. Kyle Schwarber hit a two-run single to give the Phillies the lead for good at 2-1. Nick Castellanos followed with an RBI single to make it 3-1, then a wild pitch from Giants starter Jordan Hicks scored Schwarber to up the lead to 4-1.
Alec Bohm capped the inning with an RBI triple, giving him a hit in four consecutive games. Bohm is hitting .267 over his last four games after starting April 4-for-41 (.098 average).
"I think we just had good at-bats today," Thomson said. "Used the field, take what they give you, and let the game come to you."
The Phillies didn't go through the victory unscathed, as Nick Castellanos left the game in the sixth inning with a left hip flexor strain. Edmundo Sosa took his place in left field and Max Kepler moved to right field, but Castellanos is expected to play on Friday.
Brandon Marsh is also day-to-day with a strain behind his knee, but the Phillies don't believe the starting center fielder will require a stint on the injured list. Johan Rojas went 0-for-2 but had a walk and a stolen base.
Philadelphia has won all four of Sánchez's starts, each of which has come after a loss. When the Phillies needed Sánchez to perform in a much-needed victory, he rose to the occasion.
"I'll always be proud to compete and put my team in a position to win," Sánchez said. "That's something to be proud of. ... It's being there and having that mentality to be a stopper, to be able to put my team in a position to win every time I'm pitching."
