Phillies Manager Gets Honest About Cristopher Sanchez’s Struggles Against Royals

What does Don Mattingly think of Cristopher Sanchez's ugly performance against the Kansas City Royals?

Jun 23, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly (8) on the field against the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies suffered a bit of a setback over the last couple of days in their quest to overtake the Atlanta Braves for first place in the National League East.

They lost back-to-back games and two out of three to the Kansas City Royals on Sunday and Monday, and their second loss in a row at Kauffman Stadium was by far the worst.

With Cristopher Sanchez as their starting pitcher, they gave up a whopping 15 runs and scored only one themselves. They now trail Atlanta by three games with a 50-41 record.

While Sanchez, who was selected to the National League All-Star Team, is arguably the best pitcher on Philadelphia's staff, he has struggled on the road lately. On June 25, he gave up five runs in five innings at the Washington Nationals, and 11 days before that, he allowed the Milwaukee Brewers to score four runs in six innings during a shutout loss.

Cristopher Sanchez's struggles not worrying Don Mattingly

Jul 6, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) pitches during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

However, Phillies manager Don Mattingly doesn't sound too concerned about Sanchez's play away from the Delaware Valley region, per ESPN.

"You're always kind of looking at everything," Mattingly said. "He doesn't seem to be as sharp (on the road) as at home. I don't know if that has necessarily anything to do with it. Obviously, you don't have the same mound you're used to, but everybody pitches on the road."

Sanchez surrendered nine runs in 3.1 innings on Monday before Mattingly pulled him from the mound. On the other hand, he blanked the San Diego Padres in seven innings on May 27 and shut out the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 16.

"I know that it's something that's happened on the road," the ace pitcher said. "I don't really have an answer for that. Maybe not being so familiar with the stadiums, but it's just something that we have to improve."

Monday's contest started decently for Philadelphia. The team scored in the top of the first inning after Trea Turner got things started with a double and came around to score when Alec Bohm had a double of his own.

But in the bottom of the first inning, Turner attempted a double play by throwing to first base to try to get Jac Caglianone out. But his throw was off-kilter, and Bobby Witt Jr. tied the game.

After that, it was a Kansas City onslaught, as the Royals scored six runs in just the first inning.

Overall, even after Monday's debacle, Sanchez still ranks 10th in Major League Baseball with a 2.62 ERA. But Philadelphia will be on the road until the Thursday after the All-Star game. Later this summer, it will have a series on the road against the Seattle Mariners, who are in first place in the American League West, and the Braves, where Sanchez will be counted on to produce.

Sign up for our free newsletter to receive the latest news and updates!