Christopher Sanchez ended up being more reliable than many may have expected since becoming the Phillies’ fifth starter in mid-June.It was enough for manager Rob Thomson to anoint him the starter for Game 4 of the National League Championship Series tonight at Chase Field.First pitch is at 8:07 p.m. (TBS). The Phillies lead the best-of-7 series two games to one.Depending on how long he sticks with Sanchez, Thomson could also summon Taijuan Walker, who like Sanchez hasn’t pitched in the postseason yet, in a piggyback-type start.Walker, a $72 million free agent signee before this season, did lead the Phillies in wins while going 15-6 with a 4.38 ERA. His lone career postseason start came with the Diamondbacks in Game 1 of the 2017 NLDS and it did not go well. He walked two and gave up four hits and four runs while lasting just one inning in an eventual 9-5 loss to the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.Thomson will also likely dip into his bullpen, and said after Thursday’s 2-1 loss in Game 3 that Orion Kerkering and Craig Kimbrel are also available despite pitching in that game.IT DEPENDS: Will Phillies have home-field advantage in the World Series?Kerkering allowed three hits and a run as Arizona tied it 1-1 in the seventh. Kimbrel walked two and allowed two hits, including Ketel Marte’s game-winning single, in the ninth inning.Control is Sanchez’ greatest strength and he is coming off a strong outing in his last start, way back on Sept. 24 against the Mets. The 26-year-old lefty allowed two hits and struck out 10 in seven innings.On the season, Sanchez went 3-5 with a 3.44 ERA and 99 strikeouts and just 16 walks in 99 1/3 innings. He gave up three runs or less in 15 of his 18 starts.”He has been throwing the ball very well, and I know there’s a lot of right hands in that lineup,” Thomson said after Thursday’s game.”But I have a lot of confidence in him. I don’t know how far we’re going to be able to go with him, but he’s been pitching very well and throwing strikes, and I have a lot of confidence in him.”Phillies pitchers have allowed just 15 runs in nine postseason games and have a 1.47 ERA. The starters’ 11.60 strikeout-to-walk ration, .436 opponent OPS and 0.68 WHIP are each the best in MLB history through the first nine postseason games.It’ll be a bullpen game for Arizona, which is starting reliever Jo Mantiply. He’ll face a Phillies’ lineup with no changes:Have an idea for a compelling sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at [email protected] and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Phillies live updates vs. Arizona Diamondbacks in NLCS Game 4

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