Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez ‘wasn’t good’ in final spring start: ‘I have to adjust’

Sanchez believes his cutter is coming along well, but said the spin from his new pitch is leaking over to his change-up.

Cristopher Sanchez gave up three runs in three innings against the Rays on Thursday.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

by Scott Lauber

Published March 21, 2024, 4:35 p.m. ET

CLEARWATER, Fla. — For the first time in his career, Cristopher Sánchez didn’t have to compete for a job in spring training.

That doesn’t make an 8.59 ERA easier for the Phillies’ lefty to digest.

“It wasn’t good,” Sánchez said through a team interpreter after yielding three runs in three innings of his final Grapefruit League tune-up, a 5-5 tie with the Tampa Bay Rays. “It can be better. I missed a couple of good pitches that I have to make, and now, I have to adjust.”

Specifically, Sánchez regretted a change-up down the middle that Rays leadoff man Yandy Díaz hit for a homer on the sixth pitch of the game. But the spring-training caveat always applies: Results don’t matter.

With the comfort of knowing that he has a spot in the rotation — he’s slated to start the fifth game of the season, April 2 against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park — Sánchez’s primary goal was to add a cutter to his repertoire.

And although Sánchez believes the cutter is coming along well, he said the spin from his new pitch is leaking over to his change-up.

“I have to work on that a little bit,” Sánchez said. “I cannot lose my change-up, I cannot lose my cutter. Those are the pitches that mix well with my sinker, so I have to execute those pitches.”

The Phillies (8-12-7 this spring) pushed hard for Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the offseason before he took less money to sign a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They passed on other free-agent starters, including Blake Snell and still-unsigned Jordan Montgomery.

It speaks to their confidence in Sánchez, who had a 3.35 ERA in 17 starts last season after getting called up in June to step into the fifth-starter spot.

“I’m happy with where he’s at and the spring that he’s had,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He’s getting a little bit stronger, the velocity has come up. He’s shown good command. Today was just a little bit off.”

Said Sánchez: “Based on the numbers, I’m not doing well, but I’m feeling well. My arm is healthy, and I’m ready to compete.”

At the plate: Johan Rojas helped his case to nail down the center-field job by knocking a two-out RBI single through the middle on a 95 mph heater from Rays reliever Jason Adam in the Phillies’ four-run sixth inning. … Kody Clemens hit his third homer of the spring, a solo shot to left field against Rays starter Ryan Pepiot in the second inning, and added an RBI single in the sixth. Clemens is 13-for-34 (.384), but because he has a minor-league option, he’s likely ticketed for triple A. … Weston Wilson exited in the third inning after getting hit by a pitch on the left hand. A scan was negative, but the Phillies were ordering an X-ray.

On the mound: Luis Ortiz and Yunior Marte continued to excel in the competition for three unclaimed bullpen spots. Ortiz struck out the side on 12 pitches in the sixth inning; Marte’s fastball hummed along at 98 mph in the seventh to stretch his spring scoreless streak to seven innings. The Phillies like Ortiz’s ability to pitch multiple innings, which is valuable early in the season while starters are still getting stretched out.

Quotable: “It was just a good swing. The lower half was connected to the entire swing. That’s what he’s been doing. He’s getting pretty consistent with it, and he’s making some hard contact. He’s starting to make pretty good decisions at the plate.” —Thomson on Rojas’ single

On deck: Weather permitting (rain is in the forecast), Zack Wheeler is scheduled for his final spring-training start at 1:05 p.m. against the Tigers in Clearwater on NBC Sports Philadelphia+ on Friday. Detroit will counter with opening-day starter Tarik Skubal.