Back Cristopher Sánchez and the Phillies in Wednesday’s series finale vs. the Angels

The Philadelphia Phillies host the Los Angeles Angels for a third time on Wednesday afternoon.

We’re betting on the Phillies to complete the sweep.

The Phillies caught lightning in a bottle last season, making a late-season surge to the World Series.

There’s reason to think they’re going to do it again.

This year’s team is better than last year’s. The 2023 Phillies have found some extra depth in the rotation, lineup and bullpen.

The rotation still has Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola leading the charge, but Cristopher Sánchez, Wednesday’s starter, has been one of the better middle-rotation pieces in baseball.

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Sánchez boasts a 3.33 ERA across 13 MLB starts this year. His 3.66 expected ERA and 18.6% strikeout minus walk rate imply that he’s been good rather than lucky.

He only throws three pitches, but all three have been effective.

His sinker has some crazy movement, and his changeup boasts a 19% swinging-strike rate and a 73% ground-ball rate.

But Sánchez’s slider is the key to his development. He added two ticks of velocity to it in the offseason, so he became more comfortable throwing it to right-handed hitters. The pitch still lacks movement, but it’s been good enough to keep hitters honest.

Ultimately, Sánchez is a good guy to bet on, mainly because he can keep the red-hot Phillies offense in every game.

The lineup is cracking skulls. Over the past month, the Phillies have the highest OPS (.896) and second-highest wRC+ (138) in baseball.

Bryce Harper is back to his MVP ways (220 wRC+ in August), while Trea Turner has re-discovered his bat (164 wRC+ in August). Kyle Schwarber has 10 home runs this month.

With Sanchez being rock-solid and the lineup smashing the ball, the Phillies have won four straight Sanchez starts.

The bullpen has fully rounded into form, too, now that Jose Alvarado is healthy. The Phillies boast a 2.48 reliever ERA and 0.99 reliever WHIP over the past two weeks, top-two marks in MLB.

The Phillies are cruising while the Angels have fully imploded.

They’re 8-18 in August, Shohei Ohtani tore his UCL, and they recently waived five players.

Reid Detmers, today’s starter, boasts a 7.88 ERA over his past eight starts. The Angels have the third-worst OPS in baseball during August (.658). The bullpen boasts a 6.13 ERA over the past two weeks.

The biggest part of this handicap is the left-handed pitching matchup, as both Sanchez and Detmers are southpaws. Over the past month, the Phillies boast a 133 wRC+ against the side, while the Angels have a 60 wRC+, meaning the Phils are generating runs against left-handed pitching at a 73% better rate.

The Phillies should cruise in this game. They’ve built a four-game cushion in the NL Wildcard race, but they must keep their momentum, and I expect the Angels to roll over and play dead at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday.

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