The Philadelphia Phillies continued their struggles in New York on Monday night, losing to the Mets 13-3. The Mets' lineup teed off on starter Cristopher Sánchez, tagging him with six runs (five earned) and eight hits in just over five innings pitched.
As dominant as Sánchez has been for the Phillies in 2025, why the struggles against their biggest foe in the division? Bryce Harper believes the Mets are very good at picking up tips on how to oppose him.
The only other time Sánchez took the mound against the Mets in 2025, it was in New York in April. He pitched just two innings, giving up two runs on four hits, before leaving with a forearm injury. In eleven career appearances (eight starts) against them, Sánchez has a 4.43 ERA and only surpassed five innings pitched four times. This season, his ERA is 8.59 with two losses.
Outside of the Mets, Sánchez has been sensational for the Phillies. He has been a perfect complement to Zack Wheeler with Aaron Nola missing time. What is holding him back from being that pitcher against the team the Phillies need to beat the most? Harper has a guess, according to Phillies Nation's Destiny Lugardo.
After the Phillies' eighth consecutive loss to the Mets at Citi Field on Monday night, the press went to the star first baseman for answers. When discussing Sánchez's struggles against the Mets, Harper attributed the harsh numbers to tips the team receives from other players.
Harper believes the Mets are "so good" at "getting guys and getting tips." Whether this is from their scouting department or players being added via trade or signing, Harper believes the Mets do a good job of gathering intel on opposing players and executing a plan of attack when they see a point of weakness.
Going into Monday night, Sánchez ranked first in ERA (1.94), innings pitched (97 1/3), and quality starts (13) since June 1 (minimum of 75 innings pitched). It would be fair to assess this as one dud game in a stretch of incredible outings. However, his numbers against the Mets in this start and previous outings give major concern.
Zack Wheeler is now out for the season and Aaron Nola is continuing to work himself back into his ace form. The Phillies need Sánchez to be everything he has been this season (and more) going into September and the playoffs. The expectation is that he will, but teams like the Mets are going to pop up in October. He'll need to figure out his weaknesses before then.