TORONTO — There was a point in Monday’s game where it actually looked like the Toronto Blue Jays could pressure Cristopher Sanchez into the ropes.
The Philadelphia Phillies left-hander and NL Cy Young Award front-runner has been on an insane run over the past month, having allowed just one run over his past 46 innings entering the day.
And yet, in the sixth inning, after getting to him for two runs, the Blue Jays appeared poised for more damage. Yohendrick Pinango led off the frame with a 111.6-m.p.h. rocket off the right-field wall and then advanced to third on an error by Adolis Garcia.
The smash electrified the Rogers Centre crowd of 37,178 as they sensed the possibility of a comeback against Sanchez with the top of the Blue Jays’ lineup due up.
However, almost as quickly as the fans rose to their feet, Sanchez sat them right back down by punching out George Springer, Nathan Lukes and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with just 12 pitches.
“In the sixth you saw a really good pitcher bear down against the top of the order and really make pitches,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider.
The sequence stood out during the Blue Jays’ 5-2 loss to the Phillies in the opener of a three-game set. While it was an example of Sanchez’s dominance, the inning also held a magnifying glass to key members of the Blue Jays’ lineup who simply aren’t clicking right now.
Sanchez’s devastating changeup is among the best weapons in the sport and he threw it four times in a row to Springer before the designated hitter swung weakly and missed on a slider for his third strikeout of the night.
Springer, who appeared frustrated at times, spent time with coaches in the batting cage following the loss.
“Of course guys are gonna get frustrated when they're not producing but you literally have to move on to the next day,” said Schneider. “There's a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes that you guys and everyone don’t see but by no means do we think he's gonna fall off a cliff.”
After finishing third in MLB with a .959 OPS last year, Springer owns a .626 OPS in 2026. The 36-year-old has looked lost at the plate at times, but Schneider expressed confidence that he’ll figure it out.
“He's been doing this for a long time,” said the skipper. “If anyone can turn this around, he can. And I think as long as he's swinging at the right pitches, he'll be all right.
“I think it just gets magnified when him and Vlad aren't hitting, you know, a couple homers a game or kind of making the offence go,” added Schneider.
Springer and Guerrero Jr. providing horsepower to the Blue Jays’ lineup is one of the reasons the club finished second in the AL in runs scored last year. After combining for 55 home runs in 2025, the duo has tallied just eight this season.
Guerrero Jr. went down 0-2 against Sanchez in the sixth inning before fouling off a changeup and then striking out looking on an inside sinker. The first baseman had another chance at damage in the eighth, when he represented the tying run as the Blue Jays put two runners on against Phillies reliever Brad Keller.
However, he ultimately struck out with an off-balance swing on a sweeper from the right-hander. Guerrero Jr. went 0-for-4 on Monday and is hitless in his last 14 at-bats.
“I think his work is good,” said Schneider. “I think his mindset is good and, you know, it seems like he's coming up in some spots where everyone in the stadium, everyone watching, expects him to hit a home run. That's a little bit unfair but I just want him to keep going, keep understanding that he's the face of our team. He's our best hitter. It's gonna come around for him.
“It really takes a game, takes a swing and I think he'll get going.”
The Phillies hitters, meanwhile, got going against Blue Jays left-hander Patrick Corbin early. Garcia smacked a two-run homer in the second inning and in the next frame, Corbin issued three walks and hit a batter as the Phillies plated three more runs.
“Fell behind to some good hitters and paid for it,” said Corbin. “Sometimes you have a gameplan and you just don't execute.”
Sanchez, on the other hand, executed well while allowing just two runs — one coming off an Ernie Clement solo homer — on four hits over seven frames. He walked one, struck out 10 and generated 17 whiffs, while lowering his ERA to 1.54.
“His stuff was pretty electric tonight,” said Schneider. “That change up and sinker were moving both ways two feet.”
Things won’t get any easier for Blue Jays’ hitters over the rest of the series, with Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo set to take the mound for the Phillies.
They represent a stiff challenge, for sure, but one that could be made easier with more from Springer and Guerrero Jr.
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