Phillies Running Out of Time To Fix Major Cristopher Sanchez Issue

Cristopher Sanchez would dominate even more for the Philadelphia Phillies is they

Sep 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez (61) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Philadelphia Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez has been excellent on the mound once again during the 2026 season.

He has run into a few bumps in the road over his last few outings, surrendering at least three earned runs in each of his last three starts and four out of his last five. Despite the hiccup, his overall numbers are still going to have him in the mix for the Cy Young Award in the National League.

However, there is one issue the team has to figure out a way to overcome. Sanchez has been prone to slow starts all year, resulting in some ugly first-inning numbers.

According to Baseball-Reference, the talented lefty has a 4.94 ERA across 31 first innings this season. Opponents have recorded a slash line of .278/.305/.413, and he has recorded 30 strikeouts.

Cristopher Sanchez has struggled mightily in first inning

Sep 15, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez (61) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Facing off against the top of the order is always a tall task, given that it is normally where teams have their three best hitters. But Sanchez has to face those same batters later on in the game, and he finds much more success.

There isn’t another inning that he has an ERA of 4.00 or higher in. His next highest single-inning ERA is the fourth with a 3.86 across 30.1 innings of work. He dominates the opposition otherwise, with ERAs of 2.03, 2.90, 2.10, 1.46, 3.09, 3.00 and 0.00 in the second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

Sanchez gets stronger as the game goes along, with his ERA in the first three innings being 3.29. In the middle three innings, it is 2.54, and in the final three it is 2.87.

Philadelphia’s coaching staff has to figure out a way to get Sanchez throwing the ball effectively right out of the gate, not needing an inning or two to get going. Imagine what his overall numbers would look like if he wasn’t spotting opponents in the first frame of action?

Cristopher Sánchez's 2Ks in the 4th pic.twitter.com/XnDodKiSXT

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 16, 2026

Coincidentally, he isn’t the only starting pitcher who has had an issue starting games. Andrew Painter has also not done well in the first inning, with a 9.00 ERA in the frame across 21 total innings.

It is certainly something to keep an eye on down the stretch. Sanchez has two starts remaining in the regular season before the playoffs begin. Figuring this issue out would help the team in the postseason because it would enable him to work deeper into games and avoid having to go to a shaky bullpen too early.

This season, Sanchez has a 17-6 record with a 2.93 ERA across 193.2 innings with 215 strikeouts. Even the first-inning struggles haven’t been enough to keep him from putting together a career year.

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