Thursday, October 1, 2026
73 ° Clear
73 ° Clear
Cristopher Sánchez turned in his worst start in nearly two calendar months, and the Phillies' offense came out lifeless after a 17-hit barrage the night prior. Those factors combined led to the Brewers winning 4-0, securing the series victory in the process.
An offense that bailed struggles from the pitching staff out the night before went radio silent, being shutout for the second time in three days. The Phillies are a good club. The Brewers might be great. Still, nothing is decided in June. Let’s break down the final game of the road trip.
Sánchez did not need to perform well against the Brewers to prove anything. He certainly did not have to match the incredible one-hit, 15-strikeout shutout performance from Jacob Misiorowski against the Phillies to start this series. However, the top dog in the running for the National League Cy Young Award may have flipped based on their two results.
Sánchez turned in his worst outing in nearly eight weeks, surrendering four runs (2 HRs) on eight hits and a walk over 5 ⅔ innings. The Phillies ace only struck out three batters - his lowest mark since April of last year.
This snaps an impressive streak of seven straight games completing at least seven frames. Still, the atypical outing raised his ERA to just 1.82. A number that normally would be clear and away the best ERA in the league. But not this season. Not with Misiorowski pitching the way he has.
Philly recorded more hits than they did in the first game of the series. That being said, they looked about as lifeless against Brewers pitching Sunday afternoon as they did Friday.
Four hits, all singles, from newcomer Derek Hill, Bryson Stott, a pinch-hitting Justin Crawford and Kye Schwarber. The only other base runner they had was when Edmundo Sosa was hit by a pitch. All five men failed to reach second base. None of their hits had an exit velocity that touched 90 MPH.
Trea Turner struck out twice, something he has now done for four straight games. He went 1-for-13 with six strikeouts in the series. Interim manager Don Mattingly was asked whether some time off or a change in lineup position might be in store for his star shortstop.
“Trea’s just not having success, and right now, when you’re not having success, it never looks good,” Mattingly explained. He indicated there may be some time off in the future for Turner - and others. “Something we’ll look at and talk about…Over the next probably two weeks to three, we’re gonna make sure guys start getting off their feet a little bit. So Trea will possibly be one of those guys, just like everybody else.”
Mattingly was asked about moving him down further in the lineup but he said he had not thought of that. “Somebody has to hit there,” the manager said, referring to the two-hole in the lineup.
Rafael Marchán was removed from the game after taking a foul tip off the top of the facemask. There was no immediate information on his status moving forward. Garrett Stubbs entered for him in the bottom of the eighth.
Since the addition of Derek Hill, there seems to be a lot of mix-and-match happening in the outfield. One thing that was not clear was who would play centerfield, and it seems that in the early going, Justin Crawford will continue to get that opportunity any time he is in the game.
Fans hope a return home can bring some energy, especially with two division foes scheduled to visit Citizens Bank Park this week. Monday through Wednesday, they will face the Marlins before welcoming the Mets - their first series against New York - for a weekend slate.
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