Could Cristopher Sánchez start Game 2 of a playoff series for Phillies over Aaron Nola?

Cristopher Sánchez’s latest strong start at Citizens Bank Park — just one run over 7+ innings against the New York Mets Sunday — really ramped up the conversation about where he will fit in the postseason rotation for a few reasons.

Zack Wheeler — likely to be an NL Cy Young Award finalist — will be the Game 1 starter for the Phillies in the NLDS, assuming they win the NL East and earn a first-round bye, which they are on track to do. But just from a merit sense, Sánchez has pitched better than Aaron Nola this season.

Nola: 12-8, 3.62 ERA, 4.09 FIP, 1.197 WHIP, 28 home runs allowed, 2.6 WAR, 181 1/3 innings pitched

Sánchez: 10-9, 3.24 ERA, 2.86 FIP, 1.233 WHIP, nine home runs allowed, 4.7 WAR, 172 innings pitched

But beyond merit, Game 2 of the NLDS is currently slated to be at Citizens Bank Park. Game 3 would be on the road. For as great of a season as Sánchez has had, the All-Star lefty has been significantly better at home than on the road.

Home Starts: 7-3, 2.05 ERA, 105 1/3 innings pitched

Road Starts: 3-6, 5.13 ERA, 66 2/3 innings pitched

It’s a trend that Sánchez admitted postgame Sunday that he’s aware of.

“I think I have to work on that and get better at that,” Sánchez acknowledged through translator Diego D’Aniello. “I have noticed and I follow that. I’ve checked the numbers, and they’re not so good on the road. So I think that’s something I have to work on.”

Perhaps even more interesting is that manager Rob Thomson didn’t shut down the conversation when asked about setting up the rotation to have Sánchez pitch Game 2 at home for the Phillies in their first postseason series.

“Yeah, I’ve been asked that a couple times,” Thomson said. “We haven’t really gotten there yet, so once we get in — and hopefully get in — we’ll figure that out.”

Maybe this conversation should be framed differently. Perhaps it’s not about making sure Sánchez doesn’t start on the road, but rather having someone who’s thrown two complete games at Citizens Bank Park this season take the mound at home.

There are a few other things worth considering here.

If Sánchez pitches Game 2 in the NLDS, that could put him on track to pitch in a win-or-go-home Game 5, which would also be at home. That’s probably fine, although it would still be quite the decision to tab Sánchez to pitch twice in a series — including in an elimination game — as opposed to once for Nola, who the Phillies re-signed for seven years and $172 million this past winter. But the decision would be less of an indictment on Nola, and more of an indication of just how good Sánchez has been in 2024.

Also, regardless of how you set the rotation for the NLDS, Sánchez will almost certainly have to pitch on the road at some point in the postseason if the Phillies are going to win a World Series. Sánchez lasted just 2 1/3 innings in Game 4 of the NLCS last year in Arizona, making a crucial fielding error and needing a successful tightrope walk from Jeff Hoffman to limit the damage to just one run allowed. But by all accounts, Sánchez is a completely different pitcher than he was last October.

“Every opportunity that I’m given, I’m just gonna be ready to take it and do as best as I can,” Sánchez said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s gonna be starting or relieving, however they think that I’m the best fit for the game, I’ll just be ready and I’ll give my all.

“We just gotta stay focused on our goal today and this year, and that is winning that World Series.”

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