Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez says ‘I’ll be ready’ to start Game 4

PHOENIX — Cristopher Sánchez answered questions politely for nearly three minutes on Thursday night, shortly after the Phillies named the 26-year-old left-hander their starter for Game 4.

How have you stayed sharp without starting a game in nearly a month? When was your last bullpen session? Feel good? Ready? Ever pitch on a stage like this? What does it mean to start a playoff game after starting the season in triple A?

Sánchez answered them all, briefly but politely. And then used four words to sum up everything anyone really needs to know before he takes the mound against the Diamondbacks, who will be desperate to even the National League Championship Series after edging the Phillies, 2-1, in Thursday’s Game 3.

“I’ll be ready tomorrow,” a confident Sánchez said before winking at a TV camera.

That was it. The clubhouse soon closed to reporters and the Phillies filtered back to their hotel. It was a tough loss — the Phillies had one hit after the third inning, wasted stellar relief work by Jeff Hoffman and José Alvarado, and terrific defense by Trea Turner — but they rallied last week from an even tougher night. Like Sánchez, they’ll need to be ready.

“We have to move on as quickly as possible,” Bryce Harper said. “... We have all the confidence in our young guys to go out there and do their job. Sánchez is the same thing. I think he’s thrown the ball really well lately. This will be his first start in a minute, but we’re confident in his ability to throw strikes, keep us in it, and let our bullpen take care of it.”

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The Diamondbacks will employ a “bullpen game” for Game 4 with left-handed reliever Joe Mantiply getting the start. The D’backs do not have a fourth starting pitcher, so they’ll rely on a cast of relief pitchers against the Phillies. Mantiply had a 4.62 ERA this season and allowed three runs on three hits with two walks over a third of an inning in Game 2.

The Phillies turned to Sánchez over Taijuan Walker, who signed for $72 million in the offseason but has not pitched in any of the team’s nine postseason games. He could pitch Friday in relief.

Sánchez made 18 starts this season, posting a 3.44 ERA over 99⅓ innings. He started the season in Lehigh Valley and shuffled between triple A and the majors before making himself a fixture in the starting rotation.

He slashed his walk-rate and used his sinker and change-up to register the fourth-highest ground-ball rate in the majors among all pitchers with at least 99 innings. And that is likely why the Phillies turned to Sánchez as the Diamondbacks’ offense had the fifth-highest ground-ball rate this season and posted roughly league-average production against change-ups.

“He has been throwing the ball very well, and I know there’s a lot of right hands in that lineup,” manager Rob Thomson said. “But I have a lot of confidence in him. I don’t know how far we’re going to be able to go with him, but he’s been pitching very well and throwing strikes, and I have a lot of confidence in him.”

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Ranger Suárez held the D’backs scoreless into the six inning by keeping the ball on the ground as 14 of his 16 outs came by either ground balls or strikeouts. The Phillies will hope Sánchez can induce the same level of contact, keep the game close for four or five innings, and then turn again to the bullpen.

Sánchez completed a bullpen session on Wednesday in Phoenix and pitched a simulated game in Philadelphia before the start of the NLCS. He said the Phillies informed him on Wednesday that he would start Friday. His last start — seven strong innings against the Mets — was on Sept. 24, which seems to be too long of a layoff to expect Sánchez to pitch deep into Game 4. But he said he’s ready to pitch as long as the Phillies need him.

“This is what you work for,” Sánchez said. “So tomorrow, I’ll have to show what I’m capable of.”