Plenty has been said about Cristopher Sánchez’s historic run this season. He recorded the longest scoreless streak in Phillies history, which also ranks as the fifth-longest in MLB since 1893. But alas, his momentum came to an end against the Kansas City Royals. In the series finale, the Royals handed the Phillies a crushing 15–1 defeat to clinch the series. And if anything, Sanchez did not attempt to hide his disappointment while speaking to reporters.

“It was not good. I mean, it was crap what I did today,” Sanchez said about his outing, per NBC Sports Philadelphia on X.

This season, Sánchez made headlines by throwing 50.2 consecutive scoreless innings. Now, he is back in the spotlight after surrendering six runs in the first inning on Monday. Even his trusted changeup fell flat, as all three home runs he allowed came off that pitch. After the game, he attempted to explain what went wrong, but could not offer much of a solution.

“I don’t really know,” Sanchez added. “It maybe wasn’t doing as it always does, moving-wise. Gotta get credit to them, because they got me today. They made me pay. We just have to keep going.”

The tone of the game was set early on Monday, when Sanchez allowed a leadoff walk to Lane Thomas. He started bleeding runs with Trea Turner’s throwing error at shortstop. The nightmarish inning did not end before he loaded the bases to surrender a three-run shot to Luke Maile.

In the second inning, even Salvador Perez, who is struggling with a .209 BA, took Sanchez out of the field. The Phillies pitcher was pulled in the fourth inning after Thomas homered again, giving the Royals a 9-1 lead.

Sanchez exited the mound with his ERA rising to 2.62 after career-his worst performance. He allowed 9 runs on 12 hits in 3.1 innings. He struck out only one, the lowest in the season. Monday marked his shortest outing in 2026, as he has not pitched fewer than five innings this year.

The lefty’s disastrous performance came as a shock, as Sanchez had shut out the Pirates in his previous outing, pitching seven innings.

While the Royals got the better of Sanchez, the Phillies managed just one run in the first inning and failed to score again. Trea Turner crossed the plate on Alec Bohm’s double, which also moved Bryce Harper into scoring position. That was all the offense the Phillies could muster.

While the offense has a lot to work on, the Phillies would hope it was a one-and-done kind of outing from Sanchez. They would like to call Monday not his day and move on.

Meanwhile, an MLB insider has cast doubt on interim manager Don Mattingly’s future with the Phillies in 2027.

Don Mattingly’s role with the Phillies remains unclear beyond 2026

Don Mattingly pulled the Philadelphia Phillies out of the 9-19 hole they found themselves in April this season. The Phillies’ hopes were fading fast when the organization fired manager Rob Thomson and promoted Mattingly as the interim manager. Mattingly led the Phillies to a 50-41 record and a Wild Card spot in the NL. He made the team competitive again.

However, before Mattingly, the managerial offer went to the recently fired Alex Cora, who declined it.

“While the New York Mets would love to hire Alex Cora as their next manager, Cora is still expected to join the Phillies after rejecting their offer to replace Rob Thomson, who the club fired on April 28,” wrote Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

The Boston Red Sox fired Alex Cora in the middle of their own disastrous season. However, multiple Red Sox players backed Cora after his firing, stating that he was a capable manager.

Noticeably enough, despite the managerial firing, the Red Sox barely improved under Chad Tracy. They remain at the bottom of the AL East and out of a Wild Card spot. The Red Sox are 40-48 and sit below .500 PCT. Hence, maybe Cora was not the problem in the clubhouse. If Cora does get the job, then Mattingly’s tenure with the Phillies might end after the 2026 season.