Jesus Luzardo gave the Phillies exactly what they needed on a night when the pressure was everywhere.
After a crushing Game 3 loss to the Braves had made the path in the National League East even steeper, Philadelphia needed a response in the finale at Citizens Bank Park. Luzardo provided it in emphatic fashion, throwing the first complete game of his Major League career and shutting out Atlanta in a 109-pitch gem.
The left-hander was in control from start to finish. He allowed just two hits, both singles, and one walk while striking out 12, finishing one shy of the single-game career high he set on June 26 earlier this year. With the bullpen finally spared, the Phillies got the kind of outing they had been desperate to find.
The game itself was tight throughout, with both pitchers working cleanly. Atlanta’s Grant Holmes held Philadelphia scoreless over six innings, and Didier Fuentes got through the seventh without giving up a run. The Braves matched Luzardo pitch for pitch for most of the night.
Then Kyle Schwarber changed it in the bottom of the eighth.
Schwarber launched the game’s only run into the seats, and it was his third straight game leaving the yard. That blast gave him an MLB-best 43 home runs on the season and was one of only two extra-base hits Philadelphia managed all night, along with a Trea Turner double.
The Phillies didn’t need much more. They finished with four hits and drew only two walks, but the one swing from Schwarber and the shutdown work from Luzardo were enough to secure a win in a game they absolutely had to have.
Philadelphia is back where it began the series, four games behind the Braves in the standings. But with Atlanta holding the tiebreaker, the gap functions like a 4.5-game deficit with 18 games left. The Phillies now head into a three-game set against the Houston Astros before a road trip to Atlanta for three more, a stretch that could leave them needing a sweep.
In Other News...
Phillies Risk Letting A Familiar Problem Linger At Third Base
Alec Bohm has spent seven seasons carving out a regular place in the Phillies infield since his 2020 debut, and the rsum is respectable enough on the surface. He has hit .274/.325/.412 with 85 home runs and 474 RBIs, even earning an All-Star nod in 2024, but for a player taken where Bohm was, the overall package has still felt short of the kind of impact Philadelphia hoped for at third base.
The question now is whether the Phillies will treat that as a reason to look elsewhere or as another case for keeping a familiar face in place. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has generally favored continuity, which leaves Bohms looming free agency after the 2026 season as a potential crossroads the club may be slow to approach even if the broader fit remains in doubt. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Schwarber Is Chasing A Phillies Feat Fans Can Savor
Kyle Schwarber has spent this season doing what he does best, and the power display has him sitting atop Major League Baseball in home runs as the Phillies keep leaning into the middle-of-the-order damage he brings every night. He already has 43 long balls, giving him a narrow edge over the rest of the field and putting him in position for another milestone that would fit neatly into a career built on slugging.
Schwarber has led the National League in home runs before, including in 2022 and 2025, but the next step would mean something a little different for both him and the Phillies. It would mark the first time in his career that he finishes as the game's outright home run leader, and ESPN's analysts have started to view that as the likeliest path, with Pete Crow-Armstrong the only other name drawing votes in the prediction and still trailing by three. [Read more 🡒]
Jess Luzardo Keeps Making This Phillies Move Look Better
Jess Luzardo has quickly turned the late-2024 trade to Philadelphia into one of those moves that looks better with each passing month. Acquired from the Marlins for Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd, Luzardo has settled in as a strong part of the Phillies rotation, backing up the gamble with improved pitching and then a five-year, $135 million extension that showed just how much the club believes in him.
For the Phillies, the trade has become a reminder that sometimes the real payoff is not immediate but obvious once a pitcher finds the right fit. Miami is still waiting for the prospects to take a major step forward, and Luzardos rise in Philadelphia only sharpens the contrast. The deal is looking increasingly like the kind of move that can shape a roster long after the original transaction is made. [Read more 🡒]