The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves 1-0 on the strength of a complete-game shutout by left-hander Jesus Luzardo. For interim manager Don Mattingly, there was no hesitation in sending his All-Star back to the mound to finish the game.
“He was good, he was efficient all day,” Mattingly told 94 WIP’s Vani Hamamiran. “Felt like it was his game, in a way to put it in someone else’s hands didn’t seem (right).”
To add some context behind the decision, the Phillies were without their top late-inning arms. Closer Jhoan Duran pitched back-to-back games and was likely unavailable. So it made sense to send out one of the National League’s top pitchers to finish the game.
Phillies Interim Manager Don Mattingly on Sending Jesus Luzardo for the 9th
It also helped that Luzardo didn’t have to grind through long innings. He only needed to throw more than 13 pitches to get through an inning in just one of the first eight.
“Felt like he was in a good spot still,” said Mattingly. “Hadn’t had to really battle for a 25, 30-pitch inning. He was pretty efficient, he was throwing strikes, didn’t lose his stuff. It just seemed like he was the guy.”
At one point in the game, Luzardo landed 18 consecutive strikes.
Thanks to Kyle Schwarber, the Phillies finally had a lead after eight innings. Schwarber’s solo blast not only gave them a lead, but also broke a franchise record in the process. There was no doubt in either Mattingly’s or Luzardo’s mind about who’d pitch the ninth against the heart of the Braves lineup.
It took 17 pitches to get the final three outs, but Luzardo got them. That was tied for the most pitches he threw in a single inning against the Braves. He finished with 12 strikeouts and just one walk in his two-hit shutout.
It was a huge pickup for the Phillies following arguably their worst loss of the season in the previous game.
It also marked the first time in 23 seasons that the club won a 1-0 game in which the starting pitcher threw a complete-game shutout and their only run came on a solo home run. Per The Athletic‘s Jayson Stark, Kevin Millwood was the starting pitcher and Ricky Ledee hit the home run on April 27, 2003.
https://x.com/jaysonst/status/2097038821233721638
What’s Next for the Phillies?
While they may have missed an opportunity to put a huge dent in the Braves’ division lead, the Phillies avoided a huge embarrassment. The loss on September 6 more or less crippled their chances of winning the National League East division, short of a miracle.
They’ll continue to try to stack as many wins as possible in their final 18 games. Their next series will be against the Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park. It’ll be another clash of two postseason hopefuls.
Andrew Painter, who’s been stacking quality outings of late, will take the mound for Philadelphia. He’ll be opposed by Hayden Wesneski of the Astros. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET.
Phillies Manager Makes Jesus Luzardo Admission After Braves Game