Cristopher Sánchez delivered a much-needed boost for the Phillies’ bullpen.
Hunter Martin / Getty Images
PHILADELPHIA — Cristopher Sánchez needed 103 pitches, including a grueling 24-pitch final inning, to complete seven innings in the Phillies’ 6-0 shutout of the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.
The outing provided a critical rest for Philadelphia’s bullpen, which had thrown 13 2/3 innings over the previous 29 frames—including a perfect inning from position player Garrett Stubbs—as the rotation struggled. Sunday’s win was only the third time this season a Phillies starter pitched at least seven innings. Sánchez has achieved it twice (including an eight-inning performance Tuesday), while Jesus Luzardo has done so once.
“That’s the goal,” Sánchez said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “To throw seven, eight, nine—if possible—innings. That’s always going to be my goal. We back each other up and feed off each other. I’m good today, but maybe one of the other starters is better than me tomorrow.”
The Phillies, who have sought length from their starting rotation all season, seemed to find it early in Don Mattingly’s tenure as interim manager, with Luzardo tossing seven innings and Sánchez following with eight. However, the next three games saw starters fail to reach the fifth inning: Andrew Painter (3 2/3 IP), Luzardo (3 IP), and Aaron Nola (4 2/3 IP). The situation became so concerning that the Phillies called up Triple-A starter Alan Rangel to pitch in relief on Saturday, just in case Nola exited early and the bullpen needed extra length on Sunday.
Before Sunday, Phillies starters had logged 202 2/3 innings—15th in MLB. About a quarter of the way through the season, this pace projects to roughly 820 innings from starters, a full-season total that would rank in the bottom third of the league in 2025. It’s a sharp contrast to last season, when Philadelphia’s rotation led baseball with 929 2/3 innings.
The issues have been varied and persistent. The Rockies fouled off many pitches from Luzardo (19) and Nola (23) to inflate their pitch counts on Friday and Saturday. Rookie Painter has struggled with command and navigating situations with runners on base. All three have occasionally given up big innings. Still, there have been bright spots, particularly Sánchez’s rebound from a tough start at Wrigley Field two weeks ago and Zack Wheeler’s solid performances in three starts following thoracic outlet decompression surgery. But more consistent length from the rotation would make a meaningful difference, and the Phillies continue to hope for it.
**Kyle Schwarber’s impressive start**
Kyle Schwarber has homered in four straight games for the second time in his career, including a two-homer performance on Sunday. He is tied for the MLB lead with 16 home runs and is on pace for 63—though projections will shift significantly after just a quarter of the season. By many offensive metrics, he’s having a strong year.
Still, he hasn’t fully met the goals he set for 2026. One was to raise his batting average, which sat at .240 last season. Through 41 games, it’s .227—ranking in the bottom third of qualified hitters. He also aimed to lower his strikeout rate, but it’s higher this season (32.8 percent vs. 27.2 percent in 2025). He struck out eight consecutive times on the road against the Miami Marlins last weekend.
“It’s been interesting so far,” Schwarber said of his start. “Obviously, (working on) cutting down the K.”
