Sanchez Shuts Down Pittsburgh as Phillies Roll 8-0
Cristopher Sanchez was nearly untouchable, going 7.0 innings and allowing just 3 hits, 0 earned runs, and striking out 9 in a complete team effort. Philadelphia dismantled Pittsburgh 8-0, with Justin Crawford going a perfect 3-for-3 with 3 RBI and Trea Turner adding a home run to cap the scoring.
The game turned early and never looked back. In the second inning, Crawford singled to left, scoring both Bohm and Realmuto to put Philadelphia up 2-0 — a play that swung the home win probability from 66% to 82%, a 17-point jump that effectively telegraphed where this one was headed. Pittsburgh's offense had no answer for Sanchez, who worked through seven innings on just 3 hits and 2 walks while racking up 9 strikeouts. The story of the night was how completely Philadelphia controlled both sides of the ball from the opening frame.
The Phillies kept adding to it methodically. Philadelphia went quiet between the second and sixth innings, then broke it open again in the seventh. Turner doubled to left to score Hill, Harper singled to right to score Turner, and then a fielder's choice grounder to the pitcher scored Schwarber — three runs in the inning to push the lead to 5-0. Bubba Chandler took the loss for Pittsburgh, allowing 7 hits and 5 earned runs over 6.1 innings, though his 6 strikeouts suggest the damage was concentrated rather than constant. The Phillies simply found the right moments to pile on.
The eighth inning was the exclamation point. Crawford singled to center to score Stott, making it 6-0, and then Turner launched a 376-foot homer to right center that scored Crawford and closed the books at 8-0. Turner finished 2-for-5 with a home run, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Crawford's 3-for-3, 3-RBI night looks like one of the cleaner individual performances you'll see in a shutout win. Jonathan Bowlan and Lou Trivino each tossed a scoreless inning in relief to complete the combined shutout. Esmerlyn Valdez went 2-for-3 to account for Pittsburgh's most notable offensive contribution, but it was a quiet night for the Pirates in every meaningful sense.