PHILADELPHIA— If Major League Baseball had any doubts, Cristopher Sanchez proved on Sunday afternoon that he is an elite pitcher.
The Phillies’ left-handed starter went 7.1 innings against the San Diego Padres in his final start of the first half. He allowed six hits, one earned run, walked three batters, and struck out six. Earning the win, Sanchez improved to 8-2 with a 2.50 earned run average on the season.
Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm entered late to protect a 1-run Phillies lead. Each pitcher allowed runners on base but was able to navigate through and strand the Padres’ baserunners. Kerkering looked a little rusty in the outing. It was his first appearance since July 7th, which is the longest stretch without pitching Kerkering has dealt with this season. A timely mound visit from pitching coach Caleb Cotham proved to be just what the young right-hander needed.
Offense struggles continue
It was not a great road trip for the Phillies’ offense.
Despite a 13-run outburst on Wednesday’s finale against the San Francisco Giants, the Phillies only managed to score 2, 4, and 2 runs the rest of the way. Luckily for the club, they only needed 2 on Sunday afternoon.
At the top of the first inning, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner went down with ease, earning back-to-back strikeouts. Padres’ starter and former Phillie Nick Pivetta looked dialed in and vastly improved from his days in Philadelphia. With 2-outs, Pivetta walked Bryce Harper for the team’s first baserunner of the game.
The next batter was Nick Castellanos, who hit a routine ground ball to Manny Machado at third base. Machado took his time and spiked the throw to first base. First baseman Luiz Arraez could not handle the throw, and the inning continued. The next batter was J.T. Realmuto. Realmuto hit a soft infield chopper to Machado at third, beating out a single with no throw. This could have been ruled as another error against the All-Star infielder, but the scorekeepers gave the Phillies’ catcher a hit.
After two outs were left on the table, Pivetta tried to lock back in against Bryson Stott. Stott would roll over on a ball to first base, which should have ended the inning. Arraez would field the ball and toss it to a covering Pivetta, who could not handle the throw. Harper scored, giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
Phillies strike late
With one out in the top of the 8th inning, Harper would once again find himself on base. A 1-out double put the go-ahead run in scoring position for the Phillies.
Castellanos would strike out, putting the second out on the board. Up stepped Realmuto, who, heading into Sunday’s game, had been swinging a hot bat. Since June 1st, the Phillies’ catcher is hitting .330 with a .769 OPS. He has found some life in his bat, bringing his season averages back to a quality range. The veteran catcher would hit the second double of the inning, scoring Harper, and giving the Phillies a 2-1 lead.
That second run was all the Phillies needed to secure the win.
First Half Rewind
With the conclusion of their series in San Diego, the Phillies will end the first half with a 55-41 record. This record is good enough for first place in the National League East. They hold a half-game lead over the New York Mets, who finished with a 55-42 record. The Phillies are currently on pace for 93 wins in 2025.
Last season, the club was 62-34 heading into the All-Star break. That is equivalent to a 105-win pace for the Phillies, who ultimately finished last season with 95 wins. They had an 8.5 game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the division at that time, and sent 8 players to the 2024 All-Star game.
The starting pitching staff has been unworldly this year for the Phillies. Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez, and Sanchez have combined to be the best trio in the sport. Jesus Luzardo has been solid more often than not for the team, and even Taijuan Walker has had a nice bounce-back this season. They are hoping to get a healthy Aaron Nola back in early August.
Aside from Schwarber and Turner, the offense is a step behind last year’s squad. Missing Harper for over a month certainly does not help, but the team will need to add to their offense at this year’s trade deadline. An upgrade in the outfield and potentially another infield bench bat could help spark new life into this iteration of the club.
The bullpen has taken the biggest step back from a season ago. Without Jeff Hoffman and later Carlos Estevez, the unit has not been nearly as sharp. Strahm has taken a slight step back, but is overall still a really strong weapon for Rob Thomson. Kerkering has improved but has not quite taken ahold of the closer role just yet. The team will need at least two relievers to be brought in from other teams if they want a real chance at a World Series title.
Overall, the Phillies have been a good team to start 2025. They will need to pick up the pace in the second half to secure the division and make another postseason run. Time will tell, but this team will be much different after the July 31st trade deadline.
Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
