After rough spring training, Cristopher Sánchez turns things around in his 2024 debut

Cristopher Sánchez did not do well for the Philadelphia Phillies during spring training this year. However, his performance was one of the few positives for the club in its 6-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night.

After pitching to an 8.59 ERA and 2.45 WHIP over 7 1/3 innings in spring training, the left-hander did well in his season debut despite not getting any run support after the first inning from a potent Phillies lineup struggling for consistency early on in the regular season.

Sánchez starts off the 2024 regular season strong with a solid outing

Sánchez kept the Phillies in the lead until the top of the sixth in the series opener versus the Reds. He allowed five hits, two earned runs, and one walk in five-plus innings pitched.

The Dominican native had an impressive eight strikeouts in his opening start of the 2024 regular season. At one point during the contest, he retired 11 consecutive batters, using his changeup effectively throughout the game.

Sánchez was pulled in favor of reliever Jeff Hoffman after the starter walked designated hitter Jonathan India and allowed a double to left fielder Spencer Steer to begin the sixth.

The Phillies lineup and reliever Connor Brogdon were unable to capitalize on Sánchez’s effective opening start. Philadelphia fell to Cincinnati in 10 innings and has now dropped three of their first four contests to start the regular season.

Sánchez would provide a boost to a starting rotation expected to excel in 2024. If he can remain consistent and provide outings like this for the majority of the season, it will make the Phillies' pitching staff even deeper with a reliable fourth starter.

The Phillies look like they are getting off to another slow start with a 1-3 record. They can't afford to do that if they want to snap the Atlanta Braves’ streak of six consecutive seasons as NL East champions.