CINCINNATI — In his final start before his first career All-Star appearance, Jesús Luzardo delivered a performance worthy of the honor.
His five-pitch first inning — the fewest pitches the Phillies lefty has ever thrown in an inning in his career — was a sign of things to come. He mowed down the Reds for seven innings, holding them to two hits. And the offense did just enough to back him up, eking out a 1-0 win to close the series against Cincinnati.
Luzardo struck out 11, eight of which came on his signature sweeper. He generated 12 total swing-and-misses with the pitch.
He outdueled Reds starter Brady Singer, who turned in his best start of the season. Bryson Stott’s double was the Phillies’ only hit against the Reds right hander until Kyle Schwarber singled in the seventh inning, and Schwarber was immediately erased after Bryce Harper grounded into a double play.
Even so, the Phillies were getting solid contact against Singer, with four line outs through the first six innings. They finally broke through in the eighth, thanks to an RBI single from Justin Crawford that found some grass.
The Phillies were only in position to score thanks to some heads-up baserunning. Gabriel Rincones Jr. was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and was replaced with Derek Hill as a pinch-runner.
Phillies’ Derek Hill slides across home plate to score on a single hit by Justin Crawford during the eighth inning.
Hill took off on Singer’s 0-2 pitch to J.T. Realmuto, and when the Phillies catcher sent a chopper to Elly De La Cruz, the double play was off the table. De La Cruz’s only play was to first base, allowing Hill to advance to scoring position as Crawford came to the plate.
Luzardo struck out the side in order in the third and the sixth. The Reds put the leadoff man aboard only once against him, when Eugenio Suárez drew a leadoff walk in the seventh. But he escaped the trouble with two ground balls sandwiched around a strikeout.
The Phillies used Jonathan Bowlan as the setup man for closer Jhoan Duran. Bowlan delivered a 1-2-3 eighth inning, which included striking out De La Cruz on a 99.2 mph fastball.
One of the Phillies’ other first-time All-Stars finished it off. Duran wavered at first, allowing the first two Reds in the ninth to reach with a single and hit-by-pitch. But with the winning run on first base, Duran battled back to strike out the next two Reds before inducing a game-ending groundout.
He completed the Phillies’ 11th shutout win of the season.
CINCINNATI — The revolving door in the Phillies bullpen continues to twirl.
Ahead of Thursday’s series finale against the Reds, Tanner Banks was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left forearm strain, and right-hander Chase Shugart was recalled in his place.
On Wednesday night, Banks allowed three consecutive homers to the top three batters in Cincinnati’s order — Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, and JJ Bleday — as his struggles this season reached a new low. After posting a 3.07 ERA in 2025 and working his way into higher leverage opportunities, Banks has been unable to find his stride this year. His 7.14 ERA is currently the highest on the team, although fellow left-hander José Alvarado — who also allowed four runs Wednesday — is not far behind at 7.03.
The move leaves the Phillies with just two left-handers in their bullpen: Alvarado and Tim Mayza. Kyle Backhus was optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley earlier this week after going through struggles of his own.
Interim manager Don Mattingly said that he first heard Banks had been dealing with fatigue in his forearm after he was optioned to triple A in June, but was able to pitch through it at that point.
“Just talking to him on the bus last night, it sounds like he was OK during the game, but he was having trouble getting moving and getting it going every day,” Mattingly said. “So that kind of told us something’s going on, and obviously it’s affecting a little bit with balls coming out, so felt like it was time to find out what’s going on.”
Mattingly believes the strain might have been affecting Banks’ performance this year. He said that Banks has undergone testing, and the Phillies hope to have more information after receiving the results.
“I think that’s probably what we’re kind of seeing. This is a possibility that this is what’s been causing some of the lack of command and things like that,” he said.
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly told ESPN Wednesday that he would be willing to remain at the helm beyond this season, if asked.
Mattingly willing to become permanent manager
Mattingly, who took a 42-23 record into Thursday’s series finale against the Reds since taking over as interim Phillies manager from the fired Rob Thomson in April, told ESPN Wednesday that he would be willing to remain at the helm beyond this season, if asked.
Mattingly had been prepared to retire after stepping down from the Blue Jays bench coach job following last year’s World Series. But he changed his mind after being offered the Phillies’ bench coach role, which came with the chance to work under his son, Phillies general manager Preston Mattingly.
“I like doing it,” Don Mattingly said. “I didn’t come here to do it, but I actually like doing it. And I’d committed two years. In my mind, I told Dave [Dombrowski] two years, right? So at that point you make a commitment with your family and what’s going on with everything, that you’re going to do this for two years. So if that’s something that Dave wanted me to do, I would be fine with it.”
Extra bases
Aaron Nola (3-6, 5.87 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday’s series opener against Detroit Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty (2-8, 4.60).
CINCINNATI — This year’s Home Run Derby will officially have some hometown flavor.
Bryce Harper announced on Instagram Thursday he will participate in the derby, which will be held on Monday.
“Derby at home? Sure why not?” Harper captioned a video of himself homering off the Pirates’ Braxton Ashcraft.
Harper, who was included on the National League All-Star roster as MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s “Legend Pick,” has 20 homers entering Thursday’s series finale against the Reds.
He last won the Derby in 2018 as a member of the Nationals, the year the All-Star festivities were hosted in Washington, D.C. In the final round, Harper beat future teammate Kyle Schwarber, who was representing the Cubs. Harper tied Schwarber with his 18th homer when the horn sounded before hitting the winner in bonus time.
Bryce Harper won the 2018 Home Run Derby at Nationals Park as a member of the Nationals.
This year will look a little different, however. Rather than using a timer, the Derby is reverting to a swing-based format where each competitor has a set number of swings for each round.
Schwarber, who bashed his league-leading 32nd homer of the season on Wednesday against the Reds, has not confirmed whether he has decided to participate as well. In addition to Harper, the field includes Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker, Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, Yankees first baseman Ben Rice, Royals outfielder Jac Caglianone, and Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras.
Harper will look to become the first Phillie to win the Derby since Ryan Howard in 2006.
CINCINNATI — Each time a Reds player clubs a home run at Great American Ball Park, fireworks are released from the smokestacks in the outfield.
By the end of the fourth inning of Wednesday’s11-5 Phillies loss, it was fair to wonder if Cincinnati’s supply might be running low. Because the Reds blasted four homers in the inning, including three consecutive off lefty Tanner Banks, leading to a lot of pyrotechnics.
Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, and JJ Bleday went back-to-back-to-back off poorly located pitches from Banks, who took over for Alan Rangel with one out in the inning. Rangel, who was recalled earlier on Wednesday to start the Phillies’ bullpen game, had already given up a leadoff homer from Noelvi Marte to start the fourth.
“At the end of the day,” Banks said, “I just need to be better at making those pitches.”
The blowout exposed two glaring weaknesses on the Phillies roster: a lack of depth in starting pitching and left-handed relief pitchers. It marked the club’s ninth consecutive loss in games started by the fifth spot of the rotation, a streak that includes Andrew Painter’s last five appearances before he was optioned in June.
While the front end of their rotation has multiple aces, the Phillies do not have a true No. 5 starter. And the lack of depth means the team would be in a truly precarious position in the event of an injury.
Justin Crawford’s RBI triple in the second inning put the Phillies ahead.
But what really doomed the Phillies on Wednesday was the Reds running up the score on two of their three left-handed relievers. After Banks’ collapse in the fourth, José Alvarado also gave up four runs in the sixth inning. Banks and Alvarado left the ballpark dragging ERAs of 7.14 and 7.03, respectively.
“Tonight, it didn’t look very good. We’ve really probably been searching for that more than anything through the course of this season,” said interim manager Don Mattingly.
After Kyle Backhus was optioned on Tuesday following his own struggles, Tim Mayza is the only other left-handed option in the Phillies’ pen. Mayza pitched a scoreless eighth after sidestepping a double.
Mayza, who was a nonroster invitee to spring training, lowered his season ERA to 2.81. But the Phillies need more than just one reliable lefty reliever.
The expectations were high for Banks and Alvarado entering the season. In 2025, Banks had pitched his way into higher-leverage opportunities with a 3.07 ERA. But this season, he is experiencing more frustration than at any point of his career.
“I think if I were to try to put my finger on one thing, I would say maybe a bit of … being a one-trick pony,” Banks said. “Like throwing a lot of the same stuff in the same place, and it’s hard to get someone out when you’re doing the same thing over and over again.”
Banks said he feels like this year, he has given hitters the same look too many times in the same at-bat, which allows them to adjust and square him up.
“He’s just missing, not getting the ball where he’s trying to get it to,” Mattingly said.
Interim manager Don Mattingly pointed to José Alvarado’s batting average on balls in play of .449 — a career high — as an explanation for his overall numbers this season.
The manager views Alvarado’s struggles somewhat differently. The lefty struggled to find the zone Wednesday, issuing consecutive walks to start the sixth inning. A single, another walk, and a bases-clearing double sank the Phillies into a seven-run hole before Alvarado could end the rally with a strikeout.
But Mattingly pointed to Alvarado’s batting average on balls in play of .449 — a career high — as an explanation for his overall numbers this season.
“Alvy’s been, I’d say, more inconsistent than bad,” Mattingly said. “His stuff is still good. We were looking at it today, actually. The batted ball stuff is actually not bad. So it looks like he’s probably been better than his numbers show, but still, obviously, he’s been inconsistent with giving up runs.”
Alvarado said he feels healthy, which is what gives him confidence he can bounce back.
“Things are not going my way right now,” he said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “In that regard, it’s just about controlling what you can control, getting back to work, working harder, improving, and let’s just hope things turn around for me.”
The Phillies’ offense had its chances against Reds starter Chase Burns. The 23-year-old, who is poised to make his first All-Star appearance next week, issued a career-high six walks. But those walks — plus three hits — only translated to three runs, slightly raising Burns’ season ERA to 2.54.
In total, the Phillies left 10 men on base. J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber each hit solo home runs off Cincinnati relievers, but the two big innings against Banks and Alvarado put the game out of reach.
“I’ll never give up,” Alvarado said. “It’s just going out there, giving the best of myself every time I’m on the mound. I’ve been through this before. I’ve gotten out of this before.”
CINCINNATI — Interim manager Don Mattingly briefly considered putting Brandon Marsh back at leadoff.
The No. 1 spot in the lineup was vacant on Wednesday against the Reds as Trea Turner was due for a day off. The Phillies shortstop has been “a little banged up in the lower half,” according to Mattingly.
Marsh previously batted leadoff against the Marlins on June 16, while Turner was down with a bruised wrist. But this time, Bryce Harper — who typically prefers to hit No. 3 — went to hitting coach Kevin Long and volunteered to lead off against righty Chase Burns.
It marks Harper’s first time in the leadoff spot since Sept. 8, 2025.
“I don’t mind it,” Mattingly said. “I mean, he comes up quicker than anybody else.”
Marsh instead moved to No. 3 in the order, offering protection to Kyle Schwarber at No. 2. The Phillies stacked four straight lefties — Harper, Schwarber, Marsh, and Bryson Stott — at the top of Wednesday’s lineup to combat the right-handed Burns, who entered Wednesday with a 2.40 ERA. The 23-year-old debuted last season and earned his first career All-Star selection this year.
“Hopefully we can just keep throwing those lefties at him, get some hanging sliders, or try to put some damage on him,” Mattingly said.
Brad Keller was activated from the injured list on Wednesday.
Brad Keller reinstated
Right-handed reliever Brad Keller was activated from the injured list on Wednesday to give the Phillies a reinforcement for their bullpen game against the Reds. As a corresponding move, Seth Johnson was optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The Phillies need a reliable setup arm as a bridge to closer Jhoan Duran, and Keller was signed in the offseason to be just that. But Keller, who Mattingly said had been dealing with nagging forearm tendinitis for a while before hitting the injured list, has a 4.15 ERA this year.
Orion Kerkering, who has the most eighth-inning appearances for the Phillies this year, walked the bases loaded on Tuesday night against the Reds. Jonathan Bowlan entered the game and stranded all three runners with a strikeout, but it’s not the only time Kerkering has found himself in that situation recently. Kerkering also walked the bases loaded June 28 against the Mets, though he battled back to end the inning without damage.
“We like him, his stuff is good, but you got to throw strikes to the point where you trust your stuff, and you got to get in the zone,” Mattingly said of Kerkering. “We still like his stuff and where he’s been, but obviously the walks are something you hate seeing late in the game.”
He hopes a fully healthy Keller could be a big asset for the Phillies bullpen.
“The bounce back is different when you’re feeling that kind of stuff, because then the next day, you’re not feeling great, you’re just taking another day to recover, and it’s putting pressure on another guy,” Mattingly said. “So, looking forward to having him healthy, not worried about what his stuff’s going to look like. It’s going to be good.”
Extra bases
Lou Trivino III was placed on the injured list Wednesday with a right thoracic muscle spasm. Alan Rangel was recalled to fill his spot on the 26-man roster and started Wednesday’s bullpen game. … The Abbott Elementary episode that Schwarber appeared in during Season 5 — after hitting four homers in a game — received Emmy recognition on Wednesday. Randall Einhorn was nominated for his outstanding direction for a comedy series for the episode. … Fresh off his All-Star selection, Jesús Luzardo (7-4, 3.75 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday’s series finale against Reds right-hander Brady Singer (3-8, 5.03).
CINCINNATI — Every year, Zack Wheeler has the same three goals.
Win the Cy Young Award, win the World Series, and make the All-Star Game. After returning from thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition that has ended other pitchers’ careers, he didn’t diminish his own expectations.
And so it rankles the Phillies right-hander that one of those goals is officially out of reach this year due to factors out of his control.
Never mind that Wheeler posted a 2.28 ERA in his first 14 starts since returning from the surgery, including a dominant seven innings against the Reds on Tuesday night. Wheeler was not selected to his fourth All-Star Game through the player ballot, which was announced on Saturday. And because he is lined up to start for the Phillies on Sunday and is therefore ineligible to pitch two days later in the midsummer classic, he cannot be named a replacement like teammate Jesús Luzardo, who was one of three pitchers added to the team on Tuesday.
“It [ticks] me off, and it’s kind of B.S. Maybe if I wasn’t necessarily right in there I wouldn’t be saying this, but I feel like I’ve earned it,” Wheeler said. “Just because I pitch on a certain day, I can’t pitch an All-Star Game, or even be there, or get the recognition for it. They could have did it a few different ways. I didn’t necessarily have to get chosen right away, but I feel like I was right there, so maybe they put me in and automatically just shoot me right back out and put somebody else in.
“There’s certain ways to do it, and you figure they would have a clue about it by now, how many All-Star games they’ve had, and I think it’s kind of just a B.S. rule that just because I pitch on a certain day, I get punished for it.”
Kyle Schwarber (left) celebrates with Bryce Harper after hitting a two-run homer.
Wheeler said he typically throws a bullpen session the second or third day after his start and informed his agent he would be willing to pitch an inning on July 14, but was told he is not allowed.
The Phillies had a similar snub last season. Cristopher Sánchez was passed over for an All-Star selection despite a 2.59 ERA in the first half, due to also pitching the final game before the break. The club activated the bonus clause in his contract for an All-Star selection, but Sánchez did not get league recognition.
“It just [stinks] that we have to deal with it,” said Kyle Schwarber, who is one of six Phillies on the National League roster. “We dealt with it last year, dealt with it this year now, and when someone who’s putting up the numbers deserves it, you want them to just get that nod.”
But even if Wheeler will not earn his third consecutive All-Star selection, he certainly put on an All-Star-caliber performance on Tuesday. He held the Reds to one run over seven innings as he pitched with some extra motivation.
Wheeler’s 14 strikeouts matched a career-high.
“I felt like that’s kind of a reminder,” he said, “for whoever needs to be reminded.”
Wheeler leaned on all six of his pitches to keep the Reds off-balance. He generated 20 swings and misses. Early in his outing, his sweeper was his main strikeout pitch. But by the third time through Cincinnati’s order, Wheeler started throwing his splitter more often late in counts as he tried to give hitters different looks.
“I think that’s the one thing with Zack that I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” said interim manager Don Mattingly. “If a guy’s got a weakness, he can get there with different pitches. It’s either the backdoor sink, he can go four [seam] up, he’s got the sweeper, he’s got the split, so there’s weapons for all different styles of guys.”
Zack Wheeler generated swings and misses with all of his signature pitches against the Reds.
Wheeler did not walk a batter. The solo homer he gave up to Eugenio Suárez to lead off the seventh was just the fourth hit and baserunner Wheeler had allowed all night. But he capped the inning — and his outing — by getting Tyler Stephenson to chase a splitter for his 14th strikeout.
“Definitely had some extra focus today. Looked really good in the bullpen,” said catcher J.T. Realmuto. “From start to finish, that was about as good as I’ve seen him.”
The Phillies’ offense provided all the cushion Wheeler needed against Reds lefty Andrew Abbott. In the third inning, Derek Hill started things off with a double, advanced to third on a single from Justin Crawford, and scored on an RBI groundout from Trea Turner.
Abbott then served up a 3-0 fastball over the middle of the plate to Schwarber.
The Ohio native doesn’t often swing in 3-0 counts. In fact, across the first 28 times Schwarber has gotten ahead 3-0 this season, he swung just once, which resulted in a foul tip. Three times, he was intentionally walked. The other 24 times, Schwarber took the 3-0 pitch.
But this time, Schwarber delivered a 408-foot home run to right field, his 31st of the season and 11th against a left-hander.
“I’m not very good at swinging 3-0, I don’t think my numbers are great at all. It’s just kind of always been a little thing for some reason,” Schwarber said. “Not many successful things happen for me there, which is a weird thing, but it just kind of was the spot, the situation.”
The Phillies tacked on another run in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly from Edmundo Sosa.
After taking over for Wheeler, Orion Kerkering got into some trouble in the bottom of the frame, issuing back-to-back walks to bring the tying run to the plate. He nearly got out of it, inducing a ground ball to Alec Bohm for a potential inning-ending double play, but Elly De La Cruz was ruled safe at second while Sal Stewart was called out at first.
The Phillies challenged the safe call on De La Cruz, believing that he abandoned the base path by continuing toward the outfield rather than turning to third base immediately after the play. After a lengthy review, the call was upheld. Crew chief Alfonso Marquez told a pool reporter that abandoning of the base path is not challengeable, according to league rules.
Phillies infield coach Bobby Dickerson (right) was ejected by crew chief Alfonso Márquez (center) after their failed challenge of Elly De La Cruz abandoning the base path on a ground ball in the eighth inning.
“In our minds, De La Cruz did not turn left toward third at all,” Mattingly said. “I asked for a rules check from that standpoint, to make sure they knew the rule. Because that’s what they explained to us, showed us video in spring training that you cannot continue running.”
Pitching coach Caleb Cotham and infield coach Bobby Dickerson were ejected after the ruling.
Following the delay, JJ Bleday battled Kerkering for a nine-pitch walk to load the bases and Mattingly brought in Jonathan Bowlan for Suárez. Bowlan made the disagreement moot by striking out Suárez with a slider in the dirt, stranding all three runners.
Jhoan Duran sidestepped a soft infield single to strike out the side in the ninth, picking up his 22nd save of the season.
In doing so, he also ensured that Wheeler earned his ninth win.
“I’m sure there’s a little bit of [an] extra thing in the back of his head where he wanted to go out there and have a really good night, and he did it,” Schwarber said. “And I’m happy that he’s on our side.”
CINCINNATI — The Phillies bullpen shuffle continued on Tuesday ahead of their series opener against the Reds.
Right-hander Max Lazar was recalled from triple-A Lehigh Valley, while lefty Kyle Backhus was optioned.
Backhus has struggled since returning from an elbow injury at the end of June. In seven appearances since being activated from the injured list, Backhus has a 7.94 ERA.
“We just felt like Back hasn’t been throwing the ball like he did before before the injury,” said interim manager Don Mattingly. “He says he feels great, and I think he understands he’s just not throwing the ball well yet, so this gives him an opportunity to kind of work regularly, get his stuff together, and be prepared when we need him.”
Backhus also pitched an inning in the 15-1 loss to the Royals in the series finale on Monday, while Lazar gives the Phillies a fresh arm. Lazar, who has a 3.93 ERA in 18⅓ innings in triple A, can also be a multi-inning option.
Right-hander Brad Keller joined the team in Cincinnati and is set to be reinstated from the injured list on Wednesday. Keller had been on the shelf since June 16 with right forearm tendinitis, a nagging injury that Mattingly said he had been pitching through for a while before hitting the injured list.
Brad Keller joined the team in Cincinnati and is set to be reinstated from the injured list on Wednesday.
Keller made two appearances with the IronPigs on a rehab assignment, and pitched a scoreless inning on Sunday. Mattingly wanted to give Keller two days off before activating him.
Even after the blowout loss in Kansas City on Monday after Cristopher Sánchez only went 3⅔ innings, Mattingly feels his bullpen is in good shape for the Phillies’ series against the Reds. Garrett Stubbs pitched an inning in the loss, which also helped save an arm.
Wednesday’s game in Cincinnati will be a bullpen game, although the Phillies have not yet announced who will take the ball to start.
Day off for Marsh
With Brandon Marsh due for a day off, and the Phillies facing two left-handers in a row — the Royals’ Noah Cameron on Monday and the Reds’ Andrew Abbott on Tuesday — Mattingly let the outfielder choose when to sit.
Marsh opted to take off Tuesday against Abbott, with Edmundo Sosa taking over in left field and Justin Crawford remaining in the lineup in center field. Derek Hill started in right.
“[Abbott’s] got more of the sweep, which is a pitch that’s given Marshy more trouble from the left side,” Mattingly said.
Marsh has a .256 batting average and .706 OPS against left-handers this season after playing his way into an everyday role.
As the All-Star break approaches, Mattingly thinks the team overall is keeping its focus.
“I’ve had a lot of teams that you go into the break and you know guys are kind of hitting the wall a little bit. They also know these days off are coming,” Mattingly said. “I always talk about playing to the break. … Don’t take it off a series early or something. But I think we’re holding up OK. I think the tone with which we’ve played, not so much the result of the game, but the way you feel, the way guys are going about their business and stuff, you still feel good about.”
Extra bases
Reds All-Star right-hander Chase Burns (10-1, 2.40 ERA) will start against the Phillies in their bullpen game on Wednesday.
CINCINNATI — The first time Don Mattingly managed Jesús Luzardo, the lefty was at his lowest.
In 2021, Luzardo was traded midseason from the Oakland A’s to the Miami Marlins, where Mattingly was at the helm. Across the two teams, the 23-year-old Luzardo posted a 6.61 ERA.
“2021 was by far the worst year of my career,” Luzardo said. “And he saw me when I was struggling.”
It was a full-circle moment when the Phillies interim manager called Luzardo into his office this week, along with pitching coaches Caleb Cotham and Mark Lowy, to let him know he had been named an All-Star for the first time in his career.
Luzardo was added to the National League roster Tuesday along with the Pirates’ Braxton Ashcraft and Cardinals’ Riley O’Brien as replacements for the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski, the Marlins’ Max Meyer, and the Pirates’ Paul Skenes.
Misiorowski, Meyer, and Skenes are all lined up to pitch on Sunday, making them ineligible to appear in the All-Star Game on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park.
“It’s obviously an honor, first one of my career,” Luzardo said. “It’s been a really good year, as a team too, fighting back from a bad start. So it’s a good note, but something to continue to build on.”
Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo looks up as he comes off the mound in the first inning of the Miami Marlins at Philadelphia Phillies MLB baseball game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.
Luzardo lowered his season ERA to 3.75 after holding the Royals to one run over six innings on Saturday. His sweeper, which he developed last season after the Phillies acquired him in a trade with Miami, has become one of the best pitches in baseball. Hitters are batting .141 against it, and the pitch has a 50.4% strikeout rate, which ranks only behind Padres right-hander Mason Miller’s slider.
The news of his selection took Luzardo completely by surprise. He had a sense that something was up when Mattingly summoned him, but wasn’t sure what it could be.
“You grew up watching the All-Star Game and the festivities around it,” Luzardo said. “Just being out there, being in a clubhouse with all the great players around the league, and being in front of the home crowd I think is also going to be very cool.”
It’s all the more special that Luzardo’s first appearance will come in his home ballpark. After being traded three times in his career, he found stability in Philadelphia, and signed a five-year extension with the team during spring training.
“I love everything about Philly, the team, the organization, the city,” he said. “It’s been a great time for me and my family. We’ve enjoyed it a lot. So just a good point on a good first year after signing that, and will look to build on a lot more.”
Growing up in South Florida, Luzardo has fond memories of playing baseball in the street with his friends, dreaming of moments like this.
“It was always big moments, whether it’s an All-Star Game or Game 7 of the World Series,” Luzardo said. “We would always make up these situations in our head at a young age. I did that from when I was like five to even probably almost through middle school. We were out on the street all the time, making up scenarios.”
Luzardo joins Cristopher Sánchez, Brandon Marsh, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Jhoan Duran as the Phillies’ sixth All-Star this year.
Despite a 2.36 ERA entering Tuesday’s start against the Reds, Zack Wheeler remains off the National League roster after he was not selected by the player ballot. Wheeler is lined up to start for the Phillies on Sunday, and would be ineligible to appear in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
Phillies closer Jhoan Duran was named the National League reliever of the month for June, MLB announced Friday.
Duran posted a 1.64 ERA and 0.91 WHIP across 12 appearances in June. He converted nine of 10 save opportunities. After blowing his first save of the season on June 9 in Toronto, Duran has not allowed another run in eight appearances since.
“There’s been times I’ve had to have teams where that ninth inning is by committee. It never seems to go that well,” interim manager Don Mattingly said last month. “I like having a number of guys that you could do it with, but it’s nice to have that guy that you feel like the game’s over.”
The Phillies have leaned on their closer often as they engineered a turnaround from 10 games below .500 in April to now 10 games above .500.
“If I feel good, I want to be in the game,” Duran said recently. “So that’s me. The more I throw in the game, I feel more comfortable. I feel way better.”
So far this season, the 28-year-old right-hander has 21 saves, which was tied with the San Diego Padres’ Mason Miller and the St. Louis Cardinals’ Riley O’Brien for the National League lead, entering Friday.
Duran is the second Phillies player to collect a monthly honor this season. Cristopher Sánchez won NL pitcher of the month for May.
As a heatwave continued to roll across the Northeast on Thursday, the Phillies’ offense wilted.
On a scorching afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, where the temperature at first pitch was 98 degrees and climbed to triple digits from there, the Phillies dropped the series finale to the Pirates, 6-1.
But the loss could have easily been even more lopsided. Pittsburgh had plenty of opportunities to run up the score further, with 14 hits to the Phillies’ four.
“That was definitely one of the hotter days I’ve felt in this ballpark,” said Bryce Harper, whose RBI double in the third inning drove in the Phillies’ only run. “Played some hot ones out in Turner Field against the Braves, but that was one of the hotter days I’ve ever felt in this park.”
The Pirates had base runners in every inning except the first, and stranded 12 thanks to some solid defensive efforts from the Phillies.
Interim manager Don Mattingly opted not to use an opener for Alan Rangel, who made his first major league start and delivered four scoreless innings. He wriggled out of a few jams to do it. A double play from Alec Bohm — who fielded a grounder, stepped on third, and fired to first base — helped Rangel leave two on in the third. Rangel also recovered from back-to-back walks in the fourth with a groundout that ended the inning.
Alan Rangel pitched four scoreless innings in his first major league start.
“He’s kind of doing what he’s been doing for us the whole time, which is keeping us in the game,” Mattingly said. “Threw zeros. You could tell he was kind of running out of gas at the end with the walks and things like that, but he did a nice job for us.”
The Phillies led early after Harper’s RBI double, but the bats fell silent after that. It gave the Pirates time to break through, which they did against the Phillies’ bullpen.
Pittsburgh tied things up with one run on three hits against Tim Mayza in the fifth. Trea Turner limited the damage there with another double play, which he fielded himself and threw to first while stepping across the bag.
The Pirates took the lead against José Alvarado in the seventh inning. He got ahead, 0-2, against Brandon Lowe, but failed to put him away, giving up a leadoff single instead on a cutter. Lowe later scored when Esmerlyn Valdez sent a ball past Justin Crawford in center for a triple.
Another single scored Valdez before Alvarado ended the inning with a strikeout. The lefty has a 6.10 ERA this season.
“It’s kind of game to game with Alvy,” Mattingly said. “Big games, he’s been good, getting some big outs. But in other games, he gives up the hit that obviously hurts. But in general, I think his stuff has been good.”
Runs scored on all three left-handed relievers the Phillies used in the game: Mayza, Alvarado, and Kyle Backhus, who gave up a solo homer in the ninth. Lefties in the Phillies’ bullpen have a 4.73 ERA, fifth-worst in baseball.
Lou Trivino, a righty who had his contract selected earlier this week to give the bullpen a fresh arm, also allowed a pair of runs in the eighth. He gave up two hits, including a solo homer, and walked two.
Bryce Harper (far right) said Thursday was “definitely one of the hotter days I’ve felt in this ballpark.”
The Phillies’ bullpen overall has been taxed this week, but will get a respite with Friday’s off day.
“The off day is definitely coming at a good time for us,” Mattingly said. “ … I think anytime you can get guys a day off their legs, it’s good. And obviously we need to try to get that bullpen where more of the guys are rested.”
The offense, meanwhile, struggled against Pirates starter Jared Jones and piggybacking Carmen Mlodzinski, who combined for seven innings. After Harper’s RBI double against Jones, the Phillies managed just two more hits — singles from Turner and Bryson Stott — the rest of the game.
“I think in the whole series I thought we swung the bat well,” Harper said. “Obviously, today didn’t go as planned. They got four horses over there that throw really hard and have really good stuff, so just weren’t able to really get it going today, fell behind, and split the series.”
Pirates relievers entered Thursday’s game with a 4.44 ERA, which is fourth-worst in the National League, but the Phillies didn’t capitalize. Mason Montgomery struck out Brandon Marsh, Bohm, and Stott in order in the ninth to seal it.
“Obviously it was hot, we know that, but both teams played in it, so can’t really make an excuse with the weather,” Mattingly said. “Obviously, it affects in some way, but both teams played in it.”
The Phillies played their final game at home before the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14. They depart on a three-city, nine-game road trip, opening in Kansas City on Saturday.
