Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez aims to remain 'handful' vs. Pirates

Cristopher Sanchez has shown this month why he's considered one of the best pitchers in baseball.

The talented left-hander aims for another sparkling effort Saturday when the Philadelphia Phillies visit the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second contest of a three-game set.

Sanchez (4-2, 2.11 ERA) entered this season with high expectations after finishing as the runner-up in the National League Cy Young Award race in 2025. He endured some uncharacteristically bumpy outings in April, but his last two starts have been more up to his standards.

Sanchez blanked the Athletics over eight innings on May 5 and followed that up by shutting out the Colorado Rockies over seven innings in his most recent start. Sanchez gave up just nine hits over those two outings, striking out 17 against only one walk.

"His mix is just tough," Philadelphia interim manager Don Mattingly said after Sanchez's gem against the Rockies. "He's a handful."

As a team, the Phillies have been a handful for opponents of late. They are 13-4 under Mattingly and have won five consecutive series. A team that was 9-19 at the time of Rob Thomson's firing suddenly needs a win Saturday to reach .500 on the year.

Friday's series opener epitomized the team's resilience, as Philadelphia rallied from a six-run deficit in the third inning and an 8-5 hole in the ninth to post an 11-9 triumph in 10 innings.

Kyle Schwarber has been one of the catalysts of the Phillies' resurgence. He hit two home runs Friday, giving him nine in the last eight games and an MLB-best 20 on the season.

"He's a different cat," Mattingly said. "He's dangerous all the time. It doesn't matter, really, lefties or righties. If they make mistakes (or he finds) what he's looking for, he makes you pay."

Schwarber walked with the bases loaded in the ninth inning Friday before Bryce Harper followed with a game-tying, two-run shot off the wall in right field - his fourth hit of the game. One inning later, Brandon Marsh delivered a go-ahead double as the visitors went on to prevail.

"I'm just happy that we're finding a way to win games," Schwarber said. "Sure, do you want to have success at the plate and do a lot of positive things? Yes. But it means way more when it correlates with wins."

Brandon Lowe hit two homers to highlight the offensive attack for Pittsburgh, which has alternated wins and losses in each of its last eight games.

"It's a tough loss," Pirates manager Don Kelly said. "Any loss is tough, especially when you have a lead like that. It's going to happen throughout the season. ... We need to find a way to put this one behind us."

On Saturday, Pittsburgh will give the nod to Bubba Chandler (1-4, 4.62), who has given up two runs in five innings in each of his last two starts. The 23-year-old right-hander has allowed three runs or fewer in seven of his eight starts, but he has only one win to show for it.

"I made a bunch of mistakes. They capitalized," Chandler said after Sunday's no-decision against the San Francisco Giants. "Overall, felt good. Pounded the zone. Kept the guys in it. Feel fine."

Chandler is facing the Phillies for the first time.

Sanchez is 0-3 versus the Pirates in five games (four starts) despite posting a 1.75 ERA.