Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez continues to dominate following his second career complete-game shutout (108 pitches).
The 29-year-old ace boasts a 5-2 record and stellar 1.82 ERA with 80 punchouts across 64.1 innings. He’s cemented his dominance as one of the most effective arms in MLB.
He ranks second in ERA in the NL behind Bryce Elder with a 1.72 ERA and tied for first with Jacob Misiorowski in strikeouts with 80.
In his second career complete-game shutout, he struck out a career-high 13 batters against the Pittsburgh Pirates with no walks.
Cristopher Sánchez is the man of the hour for the Phillies
Sánchez has been a huge contributor to the Phillies’ success as they are at .500 (23-23) following a dismal 9-19 start this season. With Don Mattingly as manager, they have flourished with a 14-4 record to get back into contention in the NL East.
Standout performances from Sánchez have helped to stabilize the starting rotation. His success in May was rewarded as he earned the National League Player of the Week award on May 11.
During his dominant stretch (May 4-10), he cruised with a 2-0 record and a sparkling ERA of 0.00 across two starts. He also recorded 15 scoreless innings along with 17 strikeouts, a 0.67 WHIP, and limited batters to a .170 opponent batting average.
Durability is one of his weapons, as he averages about 6.1 innings per start (55.1 innings across nine starts). He also relies upon a devastating and signature changeup.
It’s known for producing a significant amount of whiffs (50% whiff rate). The success with his changeup comes from hitters consistently chasing it, as it’s an offspeed pitch that mirrors his sinker, making it one of the most unhittable pitches in the game.
The difference is that it makes a sharp drop while fading out of the strike zone. This is why he has compiled a high chase rate of 37.7% (96th percentile). His success also stems from producing a high number of groundballs with a 59.1% groundball rate (97th percentile).