Sanchez (6-4) suffered the loss Thursday, allowing seven runs on seven hits and three walks over four innings against the Cubs. He struck out three.
Sanchez's outing began in a familiar manner, as he allowed no runs through the first three innings while being staked with an early 2-0 lead. But Sanchez, who has done a great job this year at avoiding the big inning, couldn't escape that trap Thursday, allowing six batters to reach base during a five-run fourth. He then saw his day end prematurely after the first two batters reached base in the fifth. All told, Sanchez, who was coming off a complete-game shutout and had allowed just one earned run over 23 innings during his previous three starts, allowed a season-high seven runs, lifting his season ERA more than half a run from 2.41 to 2.96. He'll look to rebound next week when the Phillies host a showdown series against the Dodgers.