PHILADELPHIA — Veteran left-handed pitcher Tim Mayza has appeared in 396 major league games across nine seasons, finishing 68 of them. On Thursday night, he will achieve a new personal milestone: his inaugural career start.
Following a rain delay on Wednesday that led to a doubleheader, the Phillies chose to postpone rookie Andrew Painter’s scheduled start for Thursday. Cristopher Sánchez, who was originally slated to pitch Wednesday, yielded two runs over 6 2/3 innings in the first game against the Giants on Thursday afternoon. Philadelphia will now employ a bullpen game for the second match, with Mayza opening on the mound.
“We believed Sánchez would deliver a strong performance,” interim manager Don Mattingly stated after the Phillies’ 3-2 walk-off victory in Game 1. “He typically does, right? Get us deep enough into the game so we don’t overwork our bullpen. … Our relief corps was in excellent shape, and we felt this was the optimal approach.”
Mattingly’s strategy was to prevent using both Sánchez and Painter on the same day, considering the Phillies’ upcoming four-game series against the Marlins beginning Friday. Had both starters pitched Thursday, the team would have needed an emergency starter or a bullpen game on Monday in Miami. With the ability to call up reliever Nolan Hoffman as the 27th player for the doubleheader – and confidence in Sánchez’s endurance – the Phillies opted for a bullpen game on Thursday instead.
Sánchez recovered from a difficult first inning, where he gave up three hits and two runs, to provide crucial innings, pitching effectively into the seventh. He might have even continued further. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Mattingly removed Sánchez after 85 pitches as Heliot Ramos, who had previously recorded two hits and a walk against the lefty, was next to bat.
The Phillies’ top pitcher admitted his desire to remain in the contest.
“Of course, I wanted to stay in,” Sánchez said via a team interpreter. “I mean, with 85 pitches, I just wanted to complete that inning.”
Sánchez’s evident frustration did not concern Mattingly.
“It’s natural for players to be upset,” Mattingly commented. “Having done this for a long time, I know players are competitive and want to continue pitching. We felt it was the right moment to prevent any potential issues.”
Right-hander Orion Kerkering then entered, retiring Ramos before returning for the eighth. He managed only one out, surrendering two singles, before being relieved by lefty Tanner Banks. Banks successfully navigated the jam but encountered trouble in the ninth. Right-hander Chase Shugart came in to secure the final out of the top of the inning. He earned the win when the Phillies scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth on a Bryson Stott triple and a Justin Crawford infield single.
Between games, the Phillies made a bullpen adjustment; lefty Kyle Backhus was placed on the 15-day injured list due to elbow inflammation, and right-hander Trevor Richards’ contract was brought up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
“We feel positive,” Mattingly stated regarding the bullpen. “We’re in a reasonably good situation. Naturally, we’re playing two games, and we won’t simply send pitchers out for multiple games if they’ve thrown a high pitch count.”
