Phillies squander Sanchez's strong start on way to being swept by Astros
Phillies squander Sanchez's strong start on way to being swept by Astros originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
81 games down. Halfway through the 2025 season.
And Houston, we may have a problem.
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Over the weekend, the Phillies put up two thrilling offensive performances against the Mets to take the top spot in the NL East.
Four days, three games and 26.2 consecutive scoreless innings later … the Phillies are searching for any signs of life.
A 2-1 loss to the Astros Thursday marks the third time the Phillies have been swept in the last month.
Houston only needed five runs across three games to get the job done. Any momentum that was building through that Mets series has been squandered, and once again, this club is creating more questions than answers for themselves.
This series has felt like daily déjà vu — lifeless offensive performances that tossed spectacular outings from starting pitching to the wayside.
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First, you had a gem from Ranger Suarez, who allowed one run through 7.2 innings.
Wednesday, we were spoiled with more dominance from Zack Wheeler, who also only allowed one run through 6 innings.
Going three-for-three, the Phillies then wasted Cristopher Sanchez's outing. He went 6 innings, while allowing one run and striking out 11.
A combined three earned runs from the starting pitching and no run support to show for it. Often mentioned are the ebbs and flows of baseball — but it's important to also acknowledge what the past few days have been — a rut.
It took until the eighth inning to see a run cross the plate with some situational hitting. Bryson Stott worked a leadoff walk and made his way to third when Rafael Marchan singled. Brandon Marsh collected the lone RBI of the series with a sacrifice fly.
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Stott was the only runner in scoring position the entire series.
Next? Adding insult to injury. Orion Kerkering has been the most consistent bullpen arm the Phillies have had over the past six weeks. After fighting tooth and nail for that one run to tie the game, Kerkering gave up his first earned run since the first week of May.
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