The Phillies are in San Diego with a broom in hand. They've taken the first two of this series — a 3-0 shutout Monday and a 4-3 grinder Tuesday powered by Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and Trea Turner all going deep — and now they get to roll Cristopher Sánchez out for the finale. If you're a Padres fan, that's not exactly the matchup you want when you're trying to stop the bleeding.
Sánchez (5-2, 1.62) is on a run that's borderline absurd. He's gone 37.2 innings without surrendering a run, and per reporting around the start he needs just 4 scoreless to pass Grover Alexander for the longest scoreless streak by a Phillies pitcher since 1893. Yes, that Grover Alexander. His last time out he went 8 innings of 4-hit, 0-run ball against Cleveland with 6 punchouts. He is not the guy a slumping lineup wants to see.
On the other side, Walker Buehler is still trying to figure out what version of himself he is in 2026. The 5.05 ERA tells most of the story — he called a recent outing "not good enough," and there's been chatter that he's been pitching to hold his rotation spot with Marquez and Waldron working their way back. His last start was 5 innings, 3 earned, 4 walks. The walks are the real flag, especially against a Phillies lineup that just hit 3 homers off this staff yesterday.
The Padres also aren't getting their full kit. Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Nick Pivetta, Jake Cronenworth — that's a brutal list to be missing in late May, and it shows up in the lineup card every night. Philadelphia is mostly healthy outside of Brandon Marsh, who's day-to-day with a sprained right middle finger after exiting Tuesday's game. Annoying, but not season-altering.
- Day-To-DayBrandon Marsh LF — Marsh was diagnosed with a right middle finger sprain following his removal from Tuesday's game against San Diego, Paul Casella of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayKeaton Anthony 1B — Anthony suffered a fractured toe after fouling a ball off his foot during Monday's Grapefruit League game versus the Red Sox, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
- Day-To-DayRene Pinto C — Pinto (undisclosed) began a rehab assignment Monday, Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- Day-To-DayDaniel Robert RP — Robert suffered a cardiac incident Sunday while preparing to throw a bullpen session and was taken to a local hospital, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayAndrew Bechtold 3B — Bechtold signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Dec. 1.
- Day-To-DayMark Kolozsvary C — Kolozsvary (undisclosed) agreed to a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILKyle Backhus RP — Backhus (elbow) played catch Wednesday, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILZach Pop RP — Pop (calf) began a rehab assignment Saturday, throwing a clean inning for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
- Day-To-DayBlake Hunt C — Hunt is dealing with an oblique injury and has been shut down from activity, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
- 7-day ilJake Cronenworth 2B — The Padres placed Cronenworth on the 7-day concussion injured list Tuesday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILLuis Campusano C — Campusano (toe) has progressed to swinging in the batting cage and catching off a pitching machine, per MLB.com.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Waldron SP — Waldron (forearm) could take on a bullpen role when he returns from the 15-day injured list, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILGerman Marquez SP — Marquez (forearm) has progressed to throwing off a mound, per MLB.com.
- 15-Day-ILNick Pivetta SP — Padres manager Craig Stammen told reporters Wednesday that Pivetta was diagnosed with a right flexor strain, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
- 60-Day-ILJhony Brito RP — Brito (forearm) had his minor-league rehab statement moved from the Arizona Complex League to Double-A San Antonio on Sunday, per MLB.com.
- 60-Day-ILJoe Musgrove SP — The Padres transferred Musgrove (elbow) to the 60-day injured list on Thursday.
The market sees this exactly how it looks: Phillies -156, Padres +140, total 7.5 with the under shaded. That's a fair price on Sánchez vs. Buehler at Petco, and the DK splits show the public leaning Padres on the spread while the moneyline money is roughly even. The smart read is the obvious one — if Sánchez does Sánchez things for 6 or 7, San Diego has to scratch out a win against a Phillies bullpen that hasn't blinked all week.
Sweep watch is officially on. Sánchez chasing a 133-year-old Phillies record is the kind of side-quest that makes a getaway day worth tuning in for, even if you don't have a dog in the fight.