The Phillies pulled starter Cristopher Sánchez before he faced switch-hitting Ian Happ in the fifth inning of a game the Cubs would go on to win 10-2.
In his previous at-bat, Happ had hit a three-run home run off Sánchez, just the second home run the lefty had allowed all season.
The pitching change didn’t help. New pitcher, different side of the plate, same result. Happ hit a three-run shot off right-handed reliever Seranthony Domínguez.
“We’ve been looking for one of these for a while now,” Happ said of the blowout win, “where we can go out there, everybody contributes, make it easy on the bullpen. Let’s ride that momentum and see what we can do.”
The Cubs scored in the double digits for the first time since April 16 at Arizona and for only the third time this season.
Avoiding the sweep was a small consolation considering the Cubs have lost 13 of their last 15 series. The way they won, however, harkened back to the team’s offensive success back in April. They got to the starting pitcher early, which was even more impressive considering their competition.
Sánchez had capped his NL Player of the Month performance in June with a three-hit shutout against the Marlins. His 2.41 ERA entering Thursday ranked No. 4 in the majors.
“We did a good job just putting pressure on him, laying off – it looked like he was a little off with the breaking ball and struggling to throw it for strikes – and we got ourselves in some good counts,” manager Craig Counsell said.
The seven runs charged to Sánchez were the most he’d allowed in an outing all year, almost doubling his previous season high. He exited with no outs in the fifth inning, making it his second-shortest start of the season.
Happ homered from both sides for the second time in his career and recorded a career-high six RBI. He went 4-for-4 with a single and double to go with his pair of long balls. Seiya Suzuki, batting ahead of Happ, reached base four times with two hits and two walks.
Pitcher injury updates
Cubs high-leverage reliever Mark Leiter Jr. (strained right forearm) is nearing a return from the IL. His bullpen session Wednesday included a simulated inning. As long as he recovers well, the next step will be a live batting practice session.
“If that all goes well,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said, “we’re looking at hopefully getting him back next week.”
Adbert Alzolay (strained right flexor), another back end reliever, is “progressing well” in the bullpen segment of his throwing program at the Cubs’ Arizona spring training complex, Hottovy said.
“He’s recovering; that’s the biggest thing,” Hottovy said. “For a guy who’s a high leverage reliever that’s going to pitch a lot, the recovery, for me, is the most important thing. Obviously, the stuff that we’re seeing has been really good too.”
His return, however, isn’t imminent. He isn’t even eligible to be activated from the 60-day IL for at least another week, and he’s been out since mid-May, requiring a longer ramp up.
“Hopefully we progress the next couple of weeks through some bullpens, and then getting into some live BPs,” Hottovy said. “Adbert’s not a guy that takes long once he starts getting into games, because once he’s in games, he’s fully healthy, and he’s confident and ready to go.”
Crow-Armstrong stitched up
Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong needed four stitches to close the gash left on his left thumb left by Whit Merrifield’s cleats after Crow-Armstrong stole third base in the Cubs’ 5-3 loss Wednesday. But he was available off the bench Thursday, according to the team.
With Sánchez on the mound, left-handed hitting Crow-Armstrong likely wouldn’t have been in the starting lineup regardless of the injury.