The Philadelphia Phillies will turn to their ace Cristopher Sanchez on Sunday as they look to win their weekend set with the visiting Colorado Rockies.

The Phillies dropped Friday’s opener 9-7 in 11 innings but fought back with a comfortable 9-3 win Saturday to set up the rubber game.

Sanchez (3-2, 2.42 ERA) is coming off his best start of the season, striking out 10 in eight innings of scoreless ball in a 9-1 home victory over the Athletics on May 5. He allowed just three hits – all singles – and walked one as he kept the A’s lineup guessing all night.

Sanchez believes that dominant performance was the result of his constant desire to improve.

“I’m always working on my pitches, I’m always working on my mechanics,” the left-hander told reporters through an interpreter.

“I like to chase perfection.”

Sanchez, 29, locked up his future with Philadelphia, signing a 6-year, $107 million extension March 24. He has faced the Rockies five times in his career, going 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA.

Philadelphia interim manager Don Mattingly added on Sanchez’s great outing last Tuesday, “I’ve seen him throw the ball good all year long — it’s just some of the results haven’t been as good.”

Mattingly likened it to the turnaround the team has undergone since their 9-19 start: “Nothing seemed to be going our way early and now we’ve got it going in a direction that we like.”

Phillies star Bryce Harper left Saturday’s game in the middle of the first inning due to a migraine, but Mattingly said the former two-time MVP might be able to return Sunday.

Winning Sunday would help Colorado stop its own early-season skid. The Rockies haven’t notched a series victory since sweeping the Mets in New York on April 24-26, dropping eight of their last 11 against the Reds, Braves, Mets (in Denver) and the Phillies.

Right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (3-2, 3.41) is taking the ball for Colorado. He was the losing pitcher in his last start against the Mets on May 4, but he had a no-hitter in that outing through five before giving up four runs in the sixth. The Rockies ultimately fell 4-2.

Colorado manager Warren Schaeffer wasn’t deterred by the result and has taken positives from what he’s seen from Sugano in his first seven starts in Denver. Schaeffer said Sugano’s success comes from “putting the ball where he wants to” and “mixing well.”

The Rockies are getting exactly the pitcher they expected when they signed Sagano to a one-year deal in February, according to Schaeffer.

“The big arsenal that he has is something we desired in the offseason,” Schaeffer said. “He uses it extremely well. He attacks the strike zone, doesn’t walk guys.”

The 36-year-old was with Baltimore last season after playing in his native Japan as a member of the Yomiuri Giants from 2013-24. He won his only previous start against Philadelphia on April 5, allowing one run in six innings.

–Field Level Media

Thanks largely to an impressive outing from young starting pitcher Chase Burns, the host Cincinnati Reds snapped their longest losing streak since 2024 with a win Saturday over the Houston Astros and now seek a series win in Sunday’s rubber game.

Left-hander Andrew Abbott (1-2, 5.13 ERA) has the starting assignment for the Reds on Sunday. He carried a shutout into the sixth inning of his previous start but did not factor into the decision of a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, allowing four hits and four walks with four strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings.

Abbott has just one decision in his last four starts, going 1-0 with a 4.43 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings. He has faced the Astros once. He tossed six scoreless innings in a 2-1 road win June 16, 2023, allowing four hits and two walks with two strikeouts in his third career start.

In his 16th career start, Burns limited Houston to one run on four hits and three walks over six innings in a 3-1 win, one day after the Astros slugged out a 10-0 victory in the series opener.

In addition to Burns’ strong start, three Cincinnati relievers covered the final nine outs without allowing a baserunner, with Pierce Johnson earning his first save with a perfect ninth inning.

“Honestly, that was a big win for the team,” Johnson said. “We’ve been going through it on this last road trip. We needed one right there, so I’m glad I could come through and help us out a little bit.”

On the heels of another impressive road offensive display that featured four different batters recording home runs, the Astros were handcuffed by Burns, who earned the praise of Houston manager Joe Espada.

“He’s tough,” Espada said of Burns. “We didn’t do a very good job of not chasing that slider. He really kept us off balance and threw us off our plan.

“Credit to their pitching. They did a nice job. They quieted down one of the best offenses in the game.”

Houston wasted a solid start from right-hander Spencer Arrighetti and a combined 2 1/3 perfect innings of relief from Enyel De Los Santos, Steven Okert and Bryan Abreu. The Astros were unable to solve Burns’ mostly two-pitch repertoire of four-seam fastballs and sliders.

Kai-Wei Teng (1-1, 1.80) will make his 14th appearance and second start, with a bulk pitcher likely to follow for the Astros. The right-hander started against the Baltimore Orioles on April 28 and allowed two runs on five hits with two strikeouts in three innings.

In his last appearance against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, Teng allowed one hit and struck out two over two scoreless innings of relief. Teng has made eight starts in 26 career appearances. He will make his first appearance against the Reds.

–Field Level Media

The Cleveland Guardians go into their game on Sunday afternoon against the visiting Minnesota Twins with possibly the best defensive catching duo in baseball.

`

That’s because the Guardians acquired two-time Gold Glove-winning catcher Patrick Bailey from the San Francisco Giants on Saturday for left-handed pitching prospect Matt Wilkinson and Cleveland’s Competitive Balance Round A pick (29th overall) in the 2026 draft.

He will pair with Austin Hedges after Bo Naylor was sent to Triple-A Columbus after the trade. Utility man David Fry also can catch.

“I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve,” said Bailey, who has played his pro baseball career in the San Francisco organization, which selected him in the first round (13th overall) in the 2020 MLB Draft. “I’m ready to get going and see what’s under the tree.”

But Bailey, who turns 27 on May 29, also knows it will take a while to get comfortable.

“Just trying to get a feel for everybody. I’ve got no chance of getting everybody’s name right,” he added.

According to Fangraphs.com, Bailey’s Defensive Runs Above Average of 102.4 is the best in MLB since 2020.

“This is one of the best, if not the best defensive catcher in baseball,” said Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt. “… I got eight, nine texts from people in the Giants organization raving about him, not wanting him to leave.”

Bailey has struggled at the plate, hitting .146 (12-for-82) with a home run and five RBIs, a .213 on-base percentage and .396 OPS in 30 games with the Giants this season.

“Everybody’s going to see right away, what he’s capable of,” said Hedges, who has a DEF of 82.4 since 2021. “… He’s going to help us so much. He inspires me all of the time when I watch him.”

Bailey is expected to be in uniform and ready to play Sunday in the rubber game of the series after the Twins’ 2-1 win in 11 innings on Saturday night.

“I’m ready to get out there,” Bailey said. “I’ve been waiting to play with Hedges my whole career. To be able to work with him and learn from him. I’m super pumped.”

Gavin Williams (5-2, 3.28 ERA) is Cleveland’s scheduled starter Sunday.

Williams’ last start was a 5-3 loss at Kansas City on Tuesday in which he took the loss, giving up five runs and eight hits in six innings with two walks and seven strikeouts.

In seven appearances, all starts, against the Twins, Williams is 3-2 with a 2.61 ERA. His last start facing Minnesota came at home last Aug. 1, when he did not get a decision despite six innings of four-hit shutout ball. He walked two and struck out eight.

The Twins placed starting pitcher Taj Bradley (4-1, 2.87) on the 15-day injured list on Saturday, retroactive to Tuesday, with pec muscle inflammation.

Bradley had originally been scheduled to start Sunday, so Minnesota’s starter is slated to be opener Andrew Morris. The right-handed reliever is 1-1 with a 4.96 ERA, five walks and 15 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings in his rookie season.

Right-hander Travis Adams was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move.

–Field Level Media