The Philadelphia Phillies suffered a brutal loss in extra innings to the Atlanta Braves. Now, they’re hit with more concerning news. Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s postgame coverage that Jesus Luzardo will be scratched from his scheduled start against the Braves.
“He’s been having some shoulder stiffness,” said Mattingly. “As we worked through it the past couple of days, we thought he was going to be able to make the start. Still not quite there, we feel like it’s safer to be careful with him and don’t want this to linger.”
That’s tough news for the Phillies, with a lot of important games in front of him. Luzardo has been one of the hottest starting pitchers, with a 1.70 ERA since June 10. His last start was a complete-game shutout of the Braves on September 7.
Phillies SP Jesus Luzardo Scratched With Shoulder Stiffness
It’s unclear what’s next for Jesus Luzardo. At the minimum, he’ll miss a critical game against the Braves. But with the Phillies now five games back with 14 to play, their focus needs to shift to winning enough games to qualify.
With shoulder injuries, there’s always a concern about it lingering. Mattingly said it would be a “big blow” if it does. But he doesn’t feel like that will be the case.
“He threw a little touch and feel today just to see where he’s at. He’s just having trouble getting loose; that was the biggest thing. He thought he could pitch. We didn’t think it was the best thing.”
Mattingly is hoping that Luzardo just needs to miss one turn through the rotation. They’ll re-evaluate in a couple of days.
Phillies Starting Options for Braves Game
The Phillies will need someone to start the game. Given an exhausted bullpen that had to go 4.1 innings, a roster move is likely. They’ll need some fresh arms to cover this game, especially since the bullpen has worked a lot lately due to a lot of close games.
Their starting options are very limited for this game. Alan Rangel is the only starter on their 40-man roster who’s fully stretched out. He last pitched for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on September 10, so he’s not available.
Nestor Cortes is on a rehab assignment, but his last outing was September 8. On a starter’s schedule, he’s not available either.
That may cause the Phillies to have to dig deeper in their system or go with a bullpen game against Atlanta. They’ve used Tim Mayza as an opener before this season.
So the Phillies will have to dig deeper into their system to find a pitcher or go with a bullpen game. That will require both an active roster and a 40-man move. Whoever gets bumped from the 40-man is subject to waivers.
Phillies Right Now
With the Chicago Cubs also winning, the Phillies are now positioned in the National League’s No. 5 seed thanks to the tiebreaker. That would mean they’d travel to Wrigley Field if that holds.
However, their lead could be chopped to 2.5 games over the San Diego Padres and three over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Phillies hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over San Diego, but not Arizona.
Philadelphia Phillies Announce Concerning Jesus Luzardo News During Braves Series