Author: Lochlahn March

ATLANTA — If Jesús Luzardo had his way, he would have pitched on Saturday.

The Phillies left-hander was scratched from his scheduled start against the Braves due to left shoulder stiffness. As the calendar flipped to September and the innings started to pile up, Luzardo said he started feeling sore, and it worsened after his two-hit shutout against Atlanta on Sept. 7.

An MRI on Friday evening revealed no structural damage, and Luzardo said if needed, he would have taken the ball and felt confident he’d be able to get outs. But with the postseason in mind, the Phillies staff chose caution and opted to give the 28-year-old pitcher extra rest.

“That was a conversation I had with them: If today was Game 7 of the World Series, I’m throwing no matter what,” Luzardo said. “But I think to get to that point, it’s probably better to be smart now than it is to throw [Saturday] and then see my body getting worse throughout the next couple weeks, so I think we’d rather get it right now.”

The lefty dealt with plenty of injuries earlier in his career, undergoing Tommy John surgery before he was even drafted in 2016 and hitting the injured list several times during previous stops in Oakland and Miami. But since arriving in Philadelphia via trade in December 2024, Luzardo had never missed a start until now. He pitched a career-high 183 ⅔ innings in 2025 and already has 178 ⅔ this season.

Luzardo said he believes inflammation is the root of the issue. He has not taken any injections such as a cortisone shot, which would require him to be shut down for a few days afterward. He is taking a few anti-inflammatory medications.

The Phillies have no plans to place Luzardo on the 15-day injured list at this point. They hope that rest will resolve the stiffness and that he will be able to start next week. The Phillies also have an off day on Monday, which gives Luzardo an extra day.

Interim manager Don Mattingly said he was “really encouraged” about Luzardo’s MRI results.

“It’s kind of what we thought,” he said. “We didn’t feel like there was anything truly going on other than the inflammation, which was causing the stiffness and things like that. I do think it was the right thing to do for sure. … He would have taken the ball, but we just didn’t know if that pushes to the next one, and then we’re doing this the rest of the year. So it feels better to take care of it now, get it knocked out, and then just have Zeus be Zeus.”

Luzardo isn’t sure the complete game, which was the first of his career and required 109 pitches, was the cause of the stiffness.

“If you ask me, I think it’s a coincidence, especially because I felt good in the moment,” he said. “Yeah, I honestly don’t know. Maybe it didn’t help, but again, it’s September, so it could have really been anything.”

Adding to the frustration is the fact that Luzardo had been hitting his stride in the second half. The shutout against Atlanta had just been the latest in a dominant stretch for the left-hander, who has a 1.84 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 10 starts since the All-Star break.

“I would like to get back to action as fast as possible for the team, for the organization,” Luzardo said.

With Luzardo down, the Phillies instead went with a bullpen game on Saturday with Tim Mayza opening. Orion Kerkering was also expected to appear, although he has been dealing with “turf toe” since his last appearance on Sept. 4 that has kept him in a walking boot away from the field.

“He threw a [bullpen session] that went good, and so really since then it’s just been choosing whether to use him or not,” Mattingly said of Kerkering. “So we feel good about him. He feels good about pitching and all that stuff. He may be a little sore to run, but it’s not like something that he’s going to do any damage to it or anything like that. So the pitching part is fine.”

Extra bases

Tanner Banks (left forearm strain) joined the team in Atlanta and is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list Sunday. … Nestor Cortes was scheduled to pitch an inning for triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday. … Andrew Painter (3-9, 5.71 ERA) is scheduled to start Sunday’s series finale opposite Atlanta right-hander Grant Holmes (9-5, 3.46).

ATLANTA — Bryce Harper was off and running from second.

Alec Bohm had hit a grounder right to Braves shortstop Mauricio Dubón, but by the time Harper realized his mistake, it was too late. He was frozen between second and third, and Dubón had him dead to rights.

Harper was tagged out for the second out in the top of the ninth, and the Phillies’ best chance at an insurance run went up in smoke. When the Braves tied the game in the ninth, and again in the 10th, before finally walking off the Phillies, 6-5, in the 11th, the blunder cast an even longer shadow.

“Not ideal situation,” Harper said. “Yeah, need to be better.”

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As Friday’s game marched into extra innings, the Phillies were unable to build a lead of more than one run. And the Braves kept punching back, before finally breaking through with an RBI double from Drake Baldwin to take the series opener in Atlanta.

The bad news for the Phillies didn’t end there. Jesús Luzardo, who almost single-handedly beat the Braves in his first career shutout last week, was scratched from his scheduled Saturday start because of shoulder stiffness.

Now, the Phillies will follow up Friday’s 11-inning game, which required five relief arms, with a bullpen game on Saturday.

Luzardo started feeling the stiffness after his 109-pitch shutout of the Braves on Sept. 4. The Phillies initially hoped he would be able to make his start but now opting fort caution. Interim manager Don Mattingly said Luzardo does not currently require time on the injured list.

“We feel like it’s safer to be careful with him and don’t want this to linger,” Mattingly said. “So it’s one of the things we want to try to take care of and just go from there.”

Friday’s loss stung all the more because the Phillies had managed to put up three runs on Braves ace Chris Sale. The second-inning rally, capped by a bases-clearing double by Derek Hill, had been their only sustained offense against him, but it was starting to look like it was all they needed.

Aaron Nola worked his way around heavy traffic for 6⅓ innings, keeping the damage to a pair of solo home runs. José Alvarado relieved him and delivered two big strikeouts of Baldwin and Ronald Acuña Jr. Rookie Alex McFarlane turned in a scoreless eighth in a big spot.

With the Phillies clinging to a 3-2 lead in the ninth, Harper’s mistake was latest in a long line of baserunning blunders the Phillies have committed in this recent stretch. And this particular play between second and third seems to be the Phillies’ kryptonite.

Alec Bohm made an identical mistake to Harper on Thursday against the Astros. Brandon Marsh did the same two weeks ago in Anaheim, Calif., and earlier this week also was doubled off at second base after misreading a liner to shortstop.

“A little bit contagious,” Mattingly said. “I don’t understand it really. But, again, we’ll just keep talking about it and working through it.”

With Jhoan Duran unavailable after pitching back-to-back days, Jonathan Bowlan had the ninth with a one-run lead. He allowed back-to-back singles on his slider, and it didn’t help that Hill bobbled Sean Murphy’s hit to center field, allowing Mike Yastrzemski to tie the game at 4.

“Two ground balls. I mean, it’s tough, but that’s just the game,” Bowlan said. “The ground balls, they found holes, and it’s just part of it. And all you can do is take it a pitch at a time.”

After emerging earlier this season as one of the Phillies’ go-to setup arms, Bowlan has struggled in September. He has allowed a run in each of his last four appearances.

With 55 innings under his belt now, he’s already surpassed his career-high in the majors, though Bowlan said he feels like he’s holding up physically.

“I thought ball was coming out good,” Mattingly said. “Couple base hits up the middle, both sides of the bag. Yeah, we just got to keep going. He’s going through it, like hitters do or pitchers do. It’s kind of the same for me. So just got to keep working through it, and get where we got to go.”

Justin Crawford, who had been stuck on the bench for nine innings and a 47-minute rain delay before that, kept the Phillies’ hopes alive with an RBI single to lead off the 10th. But it was still not enough, as the Braves tied things back up on a sacrifice fly.

Luis Arraez’s RBI single temporarily put the Phillies back in front, 6-5, in the top of the 11th. But Ha-Seong Kim tied the game against Brooks Raley with a single before Baldwin’s double won it.

“He’s a guy that we trust that he’s not going to give in,” Mattingly said of Raley. “I think [Kim] hit a changeup, just kind of pulled it to him. Yeah, so all of our guys have been struggling a little bit out there. But we’ll get through it.”

As the Phillies left Truist Park in the early hours of Saturday morning, their list of concerns was long, and only growing. At the top is Luzardo’s health and whether some extra rest will be enough to have the lefty back to form atop the rotation as the postseason approaches.

But the Phillies’ baserunning and bullpen are not far behind.

“Definitely thought we had a chance to win that game, all around,” Harper said.

ATLANTA — Four days after they last saw each other, the Phillies and Braves have come face to face yet again.

Because of a scheduling quirk, the regular season matchups between the National League East rivals this year have been condensed within two weeks in April and 10 days in September.

Interim manager Don Mattingly, for one, doesn’t mind it.

“I kind of like the back-to-backs, especially planning-wise. You just saw them for four games. You get a couple days off, and you go again,” he said. “So I kind of like it. It’s always better if you’re playing good. The first time we saw them, we weren’t playing good. They were playing really good. Same with the Cubs. Kind of caught them on fire. We were kind of struggling, right in the same little period of time.”

The Phillies entered Friday’s series opener trailing Atlanta by four games for the division lead — exactly where they were at the start of the previous series, which they split. Taking at least two of three games this weekend at Truist Park is essential for the Phillies to remain in contention for the NL East.

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Because of the scheduling, the Phillies just saw all three Braves pitchers planned to start this series: Chris Sale, Tyler Mahle, and Grant Holmes. On the other hand, the Braves just faced Friday starter Aaron Nola and Saturday starter Jesús Luzardo, who shut them out in his last outing. They missed Andrew Painter, who will take the ball on Sunday.

There are advantages and drawbacks for both pitchers and hitters seeing each other in quick succession.

“It kind of works both ways,” Mattingly said. “It’s like the cat and mouse game goes on and on. Like, how you pitched them last time, how did you get them out? Did you get them out? Did they hit you? What do you feel like they’re looking for? As a hitter, did he get me out? Is he going to go back there? It’s just back and forth.”

Marsh and Marchán OK

As expected, neither Brandon Marsh nor catcher Rafael Marchán were in the Phillies’ lineup Friday against Sale, but both of them are healthy after sustaining some bruises in Thursday’s day game.

Marsh exited the series finale against the Astros with a bruised foot after fouling a ball off it in the bottom of the eighth inning. Marchán bunted a ball off his helmet in the sixth inning, though he remained in the game.

With lefty Sale on the mound for Atlanta, the Phillies stacked right-handers in Friday’s lineup. Bryan De La Cruz started in left field and Derek Hill started in center, while Edmundo Sosa took over for Bryson Stott at third.

J.T. Realmuto was back behind the plate after a planned day off Thursday.

Keller stops by

Brad Keller still has a ways to go in his recovery and rehab from the Tommy John surgery he underwent on July 29 to repair a torn UCL. But he has a locker in the visitor’s clubhouse in Atlanta this week and was there Friday catching up with his teammates.

Keller, who is based in Georgia, is taking the opportunity to be back around the team for the three games this series. Before his injury, he was a key part of the bullpen mix and signed a two-year, $22 million deal to be the Phillies’ setup man this offseason. Since Keller’s season ended, Jonathan Bowlan often has filled that role, but has struggled lately with a 6.23 ERA in four appearances in September.

Outfielder Adolis García, who suffered a season-ending lat tear in June, was also back around the team during their last homestand.

“It’s good to see guys that were a big part of what we were doing and had the injury, for him to come around. It’s kind of like [García],” Mattingly said. “It was the same way. To have those guys around, it feels good. Because sometimes I think when you’re on that, where you’re gone for a little bit of time, you feel like you’re not part of it anymore, and it’s just not a great feeling. So it’s good to have those guys come back around.”

Extra bases

Luzardo (14-5, 2.87 ERA) is scheduled to start opposite Braves right-hander Mahle (5-10, 4.05 ERA) on Saturday. In his last start, he limited Atlanta to two hits in his first career shutout.

Edmundo Sosa took full ownership of the baserunning mistake he made in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s 6-5 loss to the Astros.

Sitting in the Phillies dugout pregame on Wednesday, Sosa said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello that “a lack of focus” is why he did not run hard out of the batter’s box after sending a slider off the right-center field wall. Sosa took a few slow steps, watched the ball fly at first, and what could have been a triple ended up as a double.

The next three batters flew or popped out, and while Sosa stole third base, he was unable to score what would have been the tying run.

“I totally forgot to run the bases there, and I only focused on where the ball was going, and that’s what caused me not to get to third base, and that’s a big mistake that might have cost us the game right there,” Sosa said.

Sosa said he didn’t think the ball was hit out of the park. Typically, the utility player will skip once out of the batter’s box after hitting a homer, and he didn’t do that on Tuesday.

“It’s just a lack of focus and a lack of thinking about the running the bases there,” he said.

Interim manager Don Mattingly, who said after the game that he was “surprised” not to see Sosa wind up on third on the play, spoke to Sosa in a private conversation about the mistake.

“I respect the game a lot, and I try to show that,” Sosa said. “And that’s one of the things that I don’t tolerate from the game, the lack of hustle and not running the bases there, not running at full speed. I think that’s something I don’t want to happen again. … I think that’s something that shows no respect to the game, and I try to respect the game every time I play it. So I just leave it at that and say it’s not happening again.”

Mattingly also had a separate conversation with Brandon Marsh, who misread a hard liner from J.T. Realmuto and was doubled off at second base in the seventh inning on Tuesday. Mattingly said for the most part the players know where they erred, but it’s important to have the one-on-one conversations as a reminder.

“Make sure we’re thinking correctly. Most of the time, you’re asking about what they’re thinking in that situation,” he said.

It’s not the first time he’s had to have those conversations recently. During the Phillies’ West Coast trip last week, Mattingly spoke to Derek Hill about missing a stop sign from third base coach Anthony Contreras, and to Marsh about trying to advance to third on a grounder to shortstop.

Like Sosa, Marsh took accountability for his Tuesday mistake.

“It’s unacceptable for me to take a step toward third,” Marsh said after the game. “It’s a huge mistake by me. Really no excuse. Just a really bad play on my part.”

While the recent blunders have been especially ugly, Mattingly remains confident that the Phillies will be able to clean up their act on the base paths. In fact, statistically the club is still one of the stronger baserunning teams in the league.

According to the StatCast metric of baserunning run value, the Phillies rank fourth in baseball with plus-8 baserunning runs created. Six of those are from stolen bases, while the other two are from non-steal plays where an extra base was taken.

The only teams ahead of the Phillies in this metric are the Diamondbacks (plus-11), Nationals (plus-9), and Brewers (plus-9).

A major contributor to the team’s overall success is Bryson Stott, who ranks third overall with a baserunning run value of plus-7 and is a perfect 24-for-24 on stolen base attempts.

“The Phillies have actually rated out over the last few years a really good baserunning team, one of the best in baseball,” Mattingly said. “This has been a good baserunning team, and not that it’s bad now, but I think you have to keep teaching, and keep making sure everybody understands what you look for in that situation, and hopefully you learn from it, and those mistakes don’t happen again.”

Latest on Cortes

Left-hander Nestor Cortes appeared in his first official game Tuesday since Sept. 3, 2025, pitching one inning for single-A Clearwater. He struck out two and allowed one run on one hit. His four-seam topped out at 91.4 mph.

“It was OK,” Mattingly said. “So [Wednesday’s] the day to see how he bounces back, and then what happens next.”

Extra bases

Bryce Harper had a planned day at designated hitter Wednesday, with Kyle Schwarber playing first and Bryan De La Cruz taking over in right field. … Several Flyers players, including Cam York, Tyson Foerster, Owen Tippett, Christian Dvorak, Nick Seeler, and Noel Acciari were at Citizens Bank Park pregame on Wednesday, meeting Phillies and taking batting practice. … Zack Wheeler (12-5, 3.23 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday’s series finale against the Astros, while Houston’s starter has not yet been announced. The Phillies will stay on turn for their upcoming series in Atlanta, with Aaron Nola, Jesús Luzardo, and Andrew Painter lined up for the three games against the Braves.

Phillies shortstop prospect Aidan Miller took another incremental step forward on Tuesday in his return from his low back condition.

Miller’s rehab assignment was transferred from single-A Clearwater to double-A Reading, where he was scheduled to play seven innings on Tuesday night. The 22-year-old played just one game for the Threshers, going 1-for-2 with a double and a walk on Saturday.

On Tuesday, he was in the Fightin’ Phils lineup at shortstop, hitting No. 3 in the order.

Likely contributing to the decision is the fact that Clearwater’s regular season has already ended, with the Threshers playing their first playoff game on Tuesday. Reading has a week remaining before their postseason begins on Sept. 15, allowing for more regular game action.

But Miller will also be facing a higher level of competition in double A, one that he grew accustomed to in 2025 when he hit .259 with an .809 OPS for the Fightin’ Phils.

Miller is ranked the Phillies’ No. 2 prospect and No. 61 overall by MLB Pipeline, but at one point it looked like 2026 might be a lost season for him. A sore back that bothered him in spring training turned into a diagnosis of discogenic pain and facet inflammation in the lumbar spine, which was ultimately treated with a minimally invasive procedure.

While the initial timeline announced by the Phillies was six to eight weeks to return to games following the June 5 procedure, Miller did not appear in a game until Sept. 5.

“As far as the long-term effects, positive, negative, I would let the [medical] experts speak to that,” farm director Luke Murton said on Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast. “But I feel pretty confident, [based on] what we’ve been seeing lately, that he’s on the right trajectory to be with us and be a good player for a long time.”

Limiting Alvarez

The Phillies were surely glad to see the last of Ronald Acuña Jr. — at least, until they head to Atlanta on Friday — after his two home runs against them during the Braves series. But the Astros came to town on Tuesday with another star in tow in designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, who is having a career year.

Alvarez was penciled in Houston’s lineup in the No. 2 spot on Tuesday.

“What’s not the challenge of Yordan?” said interim manager Don Mattingly. “If you look at the numbers, he kind of handles all zones, all pitches. I just think you got to be really careful with him. He’s been this way for a long time. This year seems to be better than ever, but he’s always been a guy that you don’t feel like there’s a lot of places to go. You can’t do the same things over and over with him. He makes adjustments. So yeah, he’s a handful.”

Alvarez will continue his pursuit of the American League triple crown against the Phillies. If he can maintain his hold on the AL lead in batting average (.314), homers (38, tied for first with Tampa’s Junior Caminero), and RBIs (95, tied for first with Baltimore’s Pete Alonso), Alvarez would become baseball’s first winner since Miguel Cabrera in 2012.

Mattingly knows firsthand how difficult of an accomplishment that would be. He never won a triple crown in his 14 seasons playing for the Yankees, but he won the AL batting title in 1984 with a .343 average. In his MVP year in 1985, Mattingly led the AL in RBIs with 145 but finished fourth in homers (35) and third in average (.324).

“It just talks about his year, what he’s kind of balanced in everything, from average to his on-base [percentage], his power, driving in runs when they need him. So yeah, he’s just having a tremendous year,” Mattingly said. “He’s been a great player for me for a long time, and now I think you get a better view of it, because it’s more of a national thing with the triple crown in mind. You see it all the time on the scoreboards and things like that. So yeah, he’s having a great year.”

Extra bases

Infield coach Bobby Dickerson took over duties as the Phillies’ first base coach on Tuesday as Paco Figueroa is dealing with a hip injury. Figueroa was still in the dugout. … Cristopher Sánchez (16-5, 2.58 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday opposite Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (5-3, 3.31). … The Phillies announced that Flyers forward Porter Martone will throw out the first pitch before Thursday’s series finale.

Tanner Banks is eligible to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list on Monday, but the Phillies want to give him more time to build up.

The left-hander has been on the shelf since July 9 with a left forearm strain, and has already made four rehab appearances for triple-A Lehigh Valley as he works to rejoin the major league bullpen. But the Phillies want to continue building him into the three-inning range, so he can be a bulk option for the major league club.

“He’s getting to the point where he’s pretty much ready if needed,” said interim manager Don Mattingly.

Banks has been efficient in his rehab outings. Across 6⅔ innings, he has allowed just two hits and one earned run. He is next scheduled to throw three innings or 40 pitches on Tuesday for the IronPigs.

“I think you can see how we’re building him right now, is that we would look at him as more of a length option; be able to come in, throw multiples, do different things like that,” Mattingly said. “We’re sitting with three lefties [José Alvarado, Tim Mayza, and deadline acquisition Brooks Raley]; they’ve all been actually pretty good lately. So it would be hard to say I got to force Banks into that, in one of those roles.

“But I think the way we’re building, is that he is a guy that can come into a game and throw two or three innings, if he’s been built up to a pitch count where you’re comfortable and he’s used to that.”

Before his injury, Banks was having a down season and was even optioned in June. He had a 7.14 ERA and 2.00 WHIP in 29 major league innings in 2026, a stark drop-off from his 3.07 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in the majors in 2025.

“You just keep paying attention, who’s rolling and who’s getting their outs, things like that,” Mattingly said of his bullpen mix. “But this is our team. This is our club. Roles are semi-set, but I think you try to make decisions based on what’s best right now, and not necessarily how it’s been all year long.”

Cortes update

Nestor Cortes on Tuesday will see his first official game action since signing with the Phillies on Aug. 19. The left-hander is scheduled to be reinstated from the seven-day injured list and pitch for low-A Clearwater.

Mattingly said he wasn’t sure if Cortes would start the game for the Threshers, but he is scheduled to appear at some point. Cortes, 31, was signed to a major league deal as organizational pitching depth, but he has been on the injured list since Aug. 25 to give him time to build up. He last appeared in a game on Sept. 3, 2025, for the Padres before undergoing arm surgery that sidelined him for most of 2026.

Extra bases

Andrew Painter (3-8, 5.55 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday’s series opener against Astros right-hander Hayden Wesneski (4-1, 3.18).