Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez has allowed nine steals through six starts: ‘I need to be better’

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Cristopher Sánchez threw 16 pitches in the first inning Monday night.

Not one was a changeup.

It seemed odd to Phillies manager Rob Thomson because the changeup is Sánchez’s signature pitch. And although the lefty explained later that he lacked a feel for the bat-slowing off speed pitch and preferred to use his sinker and slider, Thomson directed catcher Garrett Stubbs not to stray from calling it anyway.

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“If that’s his best pitch, he’s got to use it,” Thomson said Tuesday before the Phillies continued their series with the Los Angeles Angels. “I don’t care if you’ve got a guy with the best slider in the world but that other team can hit sliders, I’m staying with my best pitch. That’s the way it is.”

Sánchez wound up throwing a season-low 15 changeups out of 75 pitches. He got only one swing and miss — on a two-strike changeup to Mike Trout in the fifth inning.

”If you go back and look at it,” Stubbs said, “it still didn’t have that movement that you really expect out of Sánchy’s changeup. Some days you have your best stuff, some days you don’t. We did our best to try to grind through those five innings.”

The Angels also swiped two bases against Sánchez on a double-steal in the second inning. Controlling the running game has been an issue for Sánchez. Teams have stolen nine bases against him, more than any pitcher in the majors.

“That’s always going to be a challenge, but I need to be better, I need to improve,” Sánchez said through a team interpreter. “I need to keep working on those things, changing the tempo to hitters and runners and not losing focus on home plate, which is the main thing.”

The Phillies have worked with Sánchez between starts on holding runners. But when he’s on the mound in a game, they don’t want it to distract him from going after hitters.

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”I think there are times when that happens because we’re talking about it, we’re working on it, so it might be on his mind, but it’s a situation where you’ve just got to go get the hitter,” Thomson said. “We’ll keep working on holding runners, but you’ve got to go attack the hitter and take care of that.”

Sánchez has a 3.68 ERA through six starts. The Phillies weren’t expected to stay with a six-man rotation beyond Spencer Turnbull’s start Tuesday night, but Thomson said a decision hasn’t been made about which pitcher will move to the bullpen. It’s doubtful that Sánchez’s spot is in jeopardy.

Taijuan Walker returned to the rotation last weekend after a spring-training shoulder impingement. Thomson said he’s on track to make his next start, Sunday at home against the San Francisco Giants, even though he was dealing with a blister in his first start.

Trout will undergo surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee, the Angels announced before the game. It’s the latest in a series of setbacks for Trout, who missed 249 games over the last three seasons with injuries to his right calf, back, and left hand.

“I never want to see anybody get hurt, especially a great player like that,” Thomson said. “He was running around here like there was nothing wrong with him last night. It’s really strange.”

Indeed, Trout stole second base, then scored from second in the seventh inning on a wild pitch by Seranthony Domínguez and a throwing error by Stubbs. He also drew a walk in the third inning.

The Angels didn’t outline a timetable for Trout’s return, other than saying that he’s expected to play again this season.

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Lefty-hitting Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott were in the lineup Tuesday night against Angels lefty Tyler Anderson. With another lefty on the mound Wednesday, Thomson said the Phillies will use their righty-heavy lineup, which usually includes Whit Merrifield and often Edmundo Sosa and Cristian Pache. … Righty reliever Luis Ortiz felt tightness in his shoulder last week, so the Phillies have halted his minor-league rehab assignment. Ortiz has been out with a sprained left ankle. … Zack Wheeler (2-3, 1.93 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale at 4:07 p.m. Wednesday against Angels lefty Patrick Sandoval (1-4, 6.33).