{"id":281064,"date":"2026-09-07T21:56:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T21:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/281064\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T21:56:16","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T21:56:16","slug":"jesus-luzardo-pitches-1st-career-shutout-as-phillies-beat-braves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/281064\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesus Luzardo pitches 1st career shutout as Phillies beat Braves"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHILADELPHIA — Jesus Luzardo<\/a> never pitched into the ninth inning over his first 149 career starts and had to block out the exhilaration he felt on the mound when he finally got that chance.<\/p>\n

The Phillies<\/a>‘ All-Star left-hander walked to the mound to a roaring ovation and with his warmup music — usually played in the first inning — cranked inside the ballpark as he tried to treat the final inning like any other.<\/p>\n

“Just think about the pitch in front of you,” Luzardo said.<\/p>\n

Luzardo was economical and efficient in the ninth with his pitches against the Atlanta Braves<\/a> and looked to the sky in appreciation as he got the final out in Philadelphia’s 1-0 win<\/a> on Monday in 1 hour, 51 minutes, the fastest game in baseball this season.<\/p>\n

He struck out 12 and tossed two-hit ball with only one walk for his first career complete game.<\/p>\n

“Everyone dreams about being a guy your team relies on,” Luzardo said. “Just going out there when, I don’t want to call it a must-win, but a big win, it feels good.”<\/p>\n

The Phillies split a four-game series with the NL East-leading Braves and cut the division lead to four games in front of a holiday crowd of 41,820. They play three more next weekend in Atlanta.<\/p>\n

Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said there was no doubt Luzardo was going back out for the ninth.<\/p>\n

“I knew Donnie probably wouldn’t let me go too much more,” Luzardo said. “Thankful for Donnie for giving me a chance to go back out there in the ninth.”<\/p>\n

Luzardo at least had some run support when he took the mound to a standing ovation as the familiar Meek Mill tune “Dreams and Nightmares” played to a packed Citizens Bank Park.<\/p>\n

Kyle Schwarber<\/a> got Luzardo the win when he socked his MLB-leading 43rd homer into the second deck against reliever Didier Fuentes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Schwarber hit his 11th career go-ahead home run in the eighth inning or later. It was only the Phillies’ fourth hit of the game.<\/p>\n

The Phillies had left the bases loaded in the first inning against Braves starter Grant Holmes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“We expect to win a baseball game when we walk out of these doors,” Schwarber said.<\/p>\n

The NL pitcher of the month for August, Luzardo (14-5) didn’t walk a batter until the ninth inning and retired the final two batters to complete the 109-pitch gem. He threw 78 strikes.<\/p>\n

It was the franchise’s fastest nine-inning game since July 4, 1989, vs. Cincinnati.<\/p>\n

Luzardo’s sweeper kept the Braves off balance all game — he had 12 total swings-and-misses on his go-to pitch and five strikeouts on his fastball — and he gave the Phillies bullpen a needed day off after a rough late-game collapse a day earlier.<\/p>\n

“I felt really good going back out in the ninth,” Luzardo said. “It could have been adrenaline or emotions or whatever it could have been.”<\/p>\n

In his last 21 starts since May 14, Luzardo has posted a 1.93 ERA over 135 innings, striking out 164 batters while surrendering only 39 walks. The Phillies are 18-3 in those games.<\/p>\n

Luzardo won only eight total games over 30 starts when he played for Mattingly with the Miami Marlins<\/a> in 2021 and 2022. He contended with various injuries over the early part of his career, and the Marlins traded him<\/a> to the Phillies for two prospects in December 2024.<\/p>\n

Mattingly had a hunch there was much more talent lurking inside Luzardo than what he flashed in parts of six seasons with Oakland and the Marlins.<\/p>\n

“Stuff-wise, he looked the same,” Mattingly said. “He always looked like this. It was just not enough strikes.”<\/p>\n

Luzardo powered his way through the zone against a loaded lineup and settled the nerves of Phillies fans frothing for some sort of vengeance against the Braves.<\/p>\n

Mattingly brushed off the suggestion that old-school retaliation should be on the table against Braves slugger Ronald Acuna Jr<\/a>., who flapped his arms and stutter-stepped around third base after he hit a tying three-run homer in Sunday’s 5-4 win and gave himself a curtain call to the irritation of Phillies fans.<\/p>\n

The days of a fastball to the ribs to send a message has about gone the way of the neighborhood play.<\/p>\n

“That’s just not part of the game now,” Mattingly said. “I think it’s about making pitches. Getting the ball to the right spots.”<\/p>\n

Luzardo simply made Acu\u00f1a uncomfortable at the plate, much to the delight of the fans who reveled in booing the Phillies’ foil.<\/p>\n

Acu\u00f1a was retired on one pitch in each of his first two at-bats and was 0 for 3 before he walked in the ninth.<\/p>\n

No matter.<\/p>\n

Luzardo struck out Drake Baldwin<\/a> and got Ozzie Albies<\/a> to fly out on the first pitch to end the game.<\/p>\n

Phillies left fielder Brandon Marsh<\/a> gleefully tossed Luzardo the game ball and the winning pitcher said he would gift it to his parents.<\/p>\n

Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski<\/a> has posited himself as the NL Cy Young Award front-runner, yet much like the Phillies and Braves, Luzardo is lurking, in the hunt and determined to finish in first.<\/p>\n

“He keeps finding a way to get better and better,” Schwarber said, “which is awesome.”br\/]<\/p>\n

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