Phillies takeaways: Cristopher Sánchez’s start, outfield injuries, a bullpen jumble

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PHILADELPHIA — There was no secret when Cristopher Sánchez stood on the mound Thursday afternoon. The changeup was coming. Everyone knew it, especially when some San Francisco Giants batters took ugly hacks against it in the first inning. He threw the pitch 50 times in a 6-4 Philadelphia Phillies win, and it generated an astounding 22 swings-and-misses.

This was not the plan.

“Not really,” Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “To be honest, it was kind of tough to see out there. Once the shadows rolled in, it makes it that much harder to be able to recognize spin or offspeed. So that’s kind of why we started using it a little more often.”

All it did was push Sánchez to a career-best 12 strikeouts in seven innings. He was the first Phillies lefty to accumulate 12 strikeouts in almost a decade; Cole Hamels had 13 in his no-hitter July 25, 2015. That day was the last time Hamels pitched for the Phillies and, ever since, the Phillies have searched for a lefty to anchor their rotation. Hamels, of course, mastered a changeup.

Sánchez is the closest thing they’ve had since.

His fastball sat 97 mph in Thursday’s outing, giving him 9 mph separation between that and the changeup. It’s a feel pitch, and Sánchez cannot always throw it for strikes and chase. He had it Thursday. When does he know the changeup is at its best?

“That’s something that I keep for myself,” Sánchez said through a team interpreter. “Not something I will disclose to the public. But whenever I have that feeling, it’s when I throw it middle-away, and I throw down. That’s a good sign.”

Cristopher Sánchez, K’ing the Side in the 4th.

All Changeups again.

8Ks thru 4. All 8 on Changeups. pic.twitter.com/MjAuLRvxI0

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 17, 2025

The Phillies have great expectations for Sánchez, who has rewarded them with four starts of a 2.96 ERA to begin the season. “He’s better because the velocity is up from last year,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “And so it’s hard. You got to gear up for 97, 98. And then he’s got that great changeup. It’s tough.” Sánchez has 31 strikeouts to six walks in 24 1/3 innings.

If he has a weakness, it is the lack of a quality third pitch. His slider remains a work in progress. He threw a 2-2 slider to Matt Chapman in the sixth inning, and Chapman clubbed it 372 feet for a two-run homer.

Then, Sánchez responded by striking out the next two hitters on changeups. Maybe the shadows helped him in the middle innings. But that doesn’t diminish what he did with that one pitch.

“I kind of feel like it’s always there,” Realmuto said. “It’s always that good. It’s just a matter of if he is locating it correctly.”

Avoiding outfield disaster

Nick Castellanos has started in 183 straight regular-season games, a streak that might be tested Friday when the Miami Marlins come to Citizens Bank Park to begin a series. Castellanos was removed from Thursday’s game with left hip soreness; he injured it in the sixth inning while trying to beat a double-play ball to first base.

Castellanos tried to play through it. The Phillies lifted him in the seventh and treated the pain.

“He should be good to go,” Thomson said.

Castellanos concurred. He said he did not know the exact number of his consecutive-games streak. (He wasn’t joking, despite taking great pride in playing every single day.) Castellanos has been among the club’s most consistent hitters in the first three weeks. He’s batting .304/.360/.507 in 75 plate appearances — a far different start to his season from 2024’s.

The Phillies remain less certain about the rest of the outfield, especially center field. Johan Rojas was there again Thursday because Brandon Marsh tweaked his right knee while corralling a ball that took a weird hop late in Wednesday’s game. A team doctor examined Marsh and found a slight sprain. The team considers him day to day, and Thomson did not expect Marsh to need time on the injured list.

He probably won’t play Friday. That means more time for Rojas, who has shown more bad than good to begin this season.

Thomson, when asked whether more playing time would benefit Rojas, said: “Well, it’s better for him, for sure. Get the reps and get the experience.” Whether it’s better for the Phillies is unclear. The team has asked Rojas to shorten his swing and use his athleticism. They’ve seen flashes. But it’s not an adjustment Rojas has applied consistently.

If Marsh’s soreness lingers and the Phillies need to dip into the minors, their immediate center-field options at Triple A are Cal Stevenson or Óscar Mercado. Weston Wilson (strained oblique) will continue his minor-league rehab through next week. There are no plans for him to see time in center field. But he’ll be a right-handed-hitting option in left field once ready.

Another development to note: Otto Kemp, a 25-year-old undrafted player from Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) University who has hit his way to Triple A, started in left field Thursday for the first time in affiliated ball. Kemp could be a bench player in the majors later but must add some versatility. The righty hitter is considered a below-average defender on the infield.

Sifting through the bullpen

The Phillies are pleased with the uptick in Matt Strahm’s stuff; he’s struck out 13 of the 32 batters he’s faced in 2025. He is throwing 92 and 93 mph now. Orion Kerkering bumped 100 mph Thursday in one of his better outings of the young season. José Alvarado has survived some hiccups. Jordan Romano has regained some velocity and settled into a better place over the last week.

The rest of the bullpen is rather jumbled. Thomson will turn to José Ruiz, Joe Ross, Tanner Banks and Carlos Hernández in “minus” situations — whenever the Phillies are losing. They have not kept deficits within striking distance.

Ross, signed to a $4 million deal to be a swingman, has been a starter for most of his career. He spent two months at the end of 2024 as a middle reliever for the Milwaukee Brewers. He was effective but struggled when pitching on shorter rest. That’s been the case in 2025, too.

“It’s been a small sample size with him,” Thomson said. “He threw well in spring training. He’s been kind of hot and cold, a little bit inconsistent so far. He’s had a couple of good games, a couple bad games. So I don’t think it’s a problem coming out of the pen from him. I just think he’s just not clicking right now.”

Hernández is probably most at risk whenever Ranger Suárez returns to the roster. The Phillies expect Suárez (back soreness) to pitch again Tuesday at Triple A. He could make another minor-league start after that. Suárez would slot into the rotation, bumping Taijuan Walker to the bullpen.

Though Thomson has four relievers he can deploy in high-leverage moments, the quest to find a fifth trusted arm remains ongoing. Neither Ross nor Ruiz has displayed big swing-and-miss stuff yet. That’s something to monitor.

(Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)

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