Sanchez rebounds with a complete game to help Phillies clinch series win over Nationals. Just six days ago, Cristopher Sanchez had a rough outing in Arizona, giving up a career-high 12 hits and allowing seven runs. However, Sanchez quickly put that performance behind him.
On Saturday, he took the mound against the Nationals as if the Arizona game never happened, delivering a brilliant complete game that led the Phillies to a 5-1 victory and secured the series win.
This was Sanchez’s first time pitching beyond the sixth inning since his previous complete game on June 28 against the Marlins. He now joins just two other pitchers in MLB with multiple complete games this season.
“Sanchy was fantastic, he really was,” said manager Rob Thomson. “Everything about his night — his command, his changeup, the sink on his fastball was unbelievable. Of the 27 outs, 19 were either on the ground or strikeouts. It was dominant.”
The Phillies have now seen three consecutive quality starts from their pitchers (Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Sanchez), which has helped stabilize the team as the offense finds its rhythm again.
“Hopefully they’re over kind of a fatigue hump,” Thomson said of his recent starters’ performances. “We gotta keep them there and monitor it so we don’t put them in harm’s way. So that they don’t get overly fatigued again. So that they can get through this month and September.”
Sanchez didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning, when Alex Call hit a solo home run to right field. It was only the fifth home run Sanchez has given up all season and just the second at Citizens Bank Park. Sanchez then fielded two consecutive grounders at the mound and got out of the inning when James Wood flew out to Weston Wilson. Andrés Chaparro was the only other National to get a hit off the lefty, with a soft single to left field.
Nick Castellanos has been quietly contributing in August, averaging over a hit per game. His strong performance continued Saturday night when he ripped a fastball to the right-center gap for his 26th double of the season, scoring Alec Bohm from first base. Castellanos now has a six-game hitting streak and has driven in at least one run in every game of this series against the Nationals.
The Phillies were making solid contact early in the game, so it was only a matter of time before the runs started coming.
A flurry of runs in the sixth inning sealed the win. Bohm singled to drive in Trea Turner, earning his 85th RBI of the season. Bohm, who also walked earlier in the game, has now reached base safely in 34 consecutive games, the longest active streak in MLB. J.T. Realmuto, Edmundo Sosa, and Johan Rojas added three more runs in the inning.
Bryce Harper was the only Phillies starter without a hit in the game.
Cristopher Sanchez
As part of Alumni Weekend, the Phillies inducted former team president and CEO David Montgomery into the Wall of Fame.
Current Wall members (Bobby Abreu, Bob Boone, Larry Bowa, Steve Carlton, Pat Gillick, John Kruk, Mike Lieberthal, Greg Luzinski, Garry Maddox, Charlie Manuel, Ron Reed, Juan Samuel, Mike Schmidt, Jim Thome, Manny Trillo) were given a unique ring as a gift. Montgomery’s wife, Lyn, also received a ring. During the ceremony, a special addition was made to the deep center field padding. Above the 409-foot marker now sits “Monty’s Angle,” a feature Montgomery wanted to pay homage to Shibe Park, later known as Connie Mack Stadium.
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