A Tough Day for Christopher Sanchez

Everyone has those days, right? For Phillies pitcher Christopher Sanchez, Monday definitely fell into that category.

During a startling 15-1 defeat to the Royals, Sanchez experienced a rough outing, giving up a career-high nine runs in just 3 1/3 innings, and striking out only one batter, his lowest ever. If that wasn’t enough, his ERA jumped from 2.00 to 2.62. When asked about the disastrous start, Sanchez admitted he couldn’t really identify why everything went wrong.

Sanchez commented, “I mean, it’s just a game.” He reflected on how, just as there are lessons to learn from good performances, the same applies when things don’t go as planned. “I’m just trying to learn from that.”

This unfortunate game stands out amidst what has otherwise been a remarkable season for him. Just a few weeks earlier, he pitched a stunning seven-inning shutout against the Pirates, and leading up to this game, he had allowed more than five runs only once this season. Plus, he made headlines earlier for a streak of 50 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings—pretty impressive, really.

But on this day, things didn’t go smoothly for him. From the very beginning, Sanchez struggled. He gave up six runs in the first inning, all following a throwing error by shortstop Trea Turner and a three-run homer by Luke Maile. In the second inning, he allowed a grounder from Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who’s batting .209 this season.

As if that wasn’t disheartening enough, the Royals managed to hit three home runs before Sanchez was ejected in the fourth inning. The offense didn’t slow down after his departure, as they seemed to score every time they batted, marking their most productive offensive showing of the season.

Even with this setback, the Phillies are still hanging onto a wild card spot as the All-Star break approaches. The game ended with them at 50 wins and 41 losses, which puts them three and a half games behind the Braves in the National League East.