ST. LOUIS ¨C Cristopher Sánchez and Jordan Romano might want to pick up their infielders¡¯ coffee orders on Sunday morning.
S¨¢nchez and Romano got five ground-ball double plays in Saturday afternoon¡¯s 4-1 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. S¨¢nchez got four, which was the most by a Phillies pitcher in a game since Zack Wheeler got four on July 25, 2020. Romano got the Phillies¡¯ fifth in the eighth inning. It marked the first time the Phillies turned five in a game since June 1, 2021.
It was the eighth time the Phillies have turned five ground-ball double plays in a game since at least 1940.
S¨¢nchez said he thanked shortstop Trea Turner and second baseman Bryson Stott afterward.
"Of course I told them,¡± he said through the team¡¯s interpreter. ¡°They all did a great job today. I don¡¯t focus a lot on the strikeouts. I¡¯m just trying to go out and compete the best I can and pitch as long as I can. I don¡¯t really focus on the other stuff.
¡°And I love double plays.¡±
S¨¢nchez allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings, giving the Phils their seventh quality start of the season. He started the game sluggishly, with a noticeable drop in velocity in the first inning. It returned in the second.
"My body just felt a little off,¡± he said.
In the first, Luken Baker hit a changeup to Turner, who underhanded the ball to Stott for a 6-4-3 double play. In the second, Jordan Walker hit a sinker up the middle. Stott stepped on the bag for an inning-ending 4-3 double play.
St. Louis loaded the bases with one out in the third when S¨¢nchez got Baker to hit a sinker to Stott, who shoveled the ball to Turner for an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
Victor Scott II hit a ground ball to Turner with a runner on first in the fifth. He tossed the ball to Stott, who tried to barehand it. He dropped it. It could have been another inning-ending double play, although Scott runs well.
But S¨¢nchez got Thomas Saggese to hit a changeup to Stott, who underhanded the ball to Turner to turn another inning-ending double play.
"I told him my bad on the first one,¡± Stott said. ¡°It was good he got another ground ball. Kind of a redemption ground ball. That¡¯s what he does. He gets a lot of ground balls and he keeps us active. He throws that sinker down and it¡¯s hard to lift it. We¡¯ve got to be ready at all times.¡±
If S¨¢nchez had coaxed one more double play, he would have had the first 5-GIDP game by a Phillies pitcher since at least 1974.
"He was really efficient, which was something we needed today, just to give our bullpen a rest,¡± Phillies manager Rob Thomson said about S¨¢nchez. ¡°For the most part, we should have a full bullpen tomorrow.¡±
Thomson joked the last time he said that was Spring Training.
The Phillies scored twice in the first to take a 2-0 lead. Bryce Harper singled and Kyle Schwarber walked, leading to Nick Castellanos¡¯ bases-clearing double. Stott¡¯s double in the fifth scored Brandon Marsh from first to make it 3-0.
S¨¢nchez allowed his only run in the sixth inning. He is 1-0 with a 3.12 ERA this season. Orion Kerkering got two outs in the seventh. Romano pitched the eighth. His fastball averaged 95.0 mph and touched 96.1 mph, which is up from last weekend against the Dodgers. Jos¨¦ Alvarado picked up his third save with a perfect ninth.
"You know what you¡¯re getting from our pitchers,¡± Stott said. ¡°They¡¯re going to keep attacking the zone and getting outs, but we also have to make it easier on them and not rely on seven innings and no runs, and expect them to do that all the time. I¡¯m sure it¡¯d be a lot easier for them if they had four, five, six runs in the first couple innings.¡±