CLEARWATER, FL— Welcome to the Philadelphia Phillies, Jesús Luzardo.
After acquiring the veteran left-hander from the Miami Marlins this off-season, the Phillies got their first look at Luzardo in spring action on Friday afternoon. Joined by members of the starting core, Jesús got acclimated behind home plate with JT Realmuto. It was the first of many games this battery is expected to play together.
Luzardo and the Phillies took on the Boston Red Sox, where it was the minor league players that took charge late in the ballgame. 3 home runs from the late-game substitutions handed the Phils a 7-5 victory over the Red Sox.
Jesús has Arrived
The Red Sox stacked the top of their batting order with three top-12 prospects in baseball today. Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer are all expected to make an impact for Boston at some point this upcoming season. Jesús Luzardo wasn’t phased, retiring these three prospects with ease in just 8 pitches.
The former Miami Marlin had looked stellar with the club in the 2023 season. Injuries derailed his 2024 campaign and the Phillies were buying in on the return to dominance. If healthy, the Phillies 1-5 in their starting rotation will consist of 5 All-Star caliber pitchers.
Luzardo flashed his arm talent on Friday. He reached up to 98 miles per hour on his fastball during his outing. It took just 19 pitches (14 strikes) to retire all 6 Boston hitters he faced. He finished with 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, and 2 K.
Phillies Takeaways
In the bottom of the second inning, the Phillies had Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet on the ropes. After the former White Sox walked the bases loaded, he was relieved by minor leaguer Christopher Troye to try and get the final out. With the bases juiced and 2 outs, Trea Turner stepped into the box.
Turner struck out in his first at-bat and followed suit in this opportunity. He would go 0-3 in his plate appearances for the afternoon. Paired with two poor throws to first base in the top of the first inning, the Phillies’ shortstop will benefit from some additional game action.
JT Realmuto got the scoring started with an RBI single to center field in the bottom of the third inning. Realmuto jumped on the first pitch, scoring Alec Bohm from second base. The following batter, Bryson Stott, had a chance to hit with two runners on. Stott crushed a ball to deep right field, but it just stayed in the park, and a nice catch by Roman Anthony ended the frame.
Bryce Harper recorded a two-hit ballgame in his first Clearwater appearance. The former 2-time National League MVP had two singles in his three at-bats.
Youth Shines
After the starters left the ballgame, the minor league players took advantage of their opportunity.
In the 6th, Justin Crawford worked a walk to start the inning. He then swiped second base for his first Spring Training stolen base. He moved over to third on a wild pitch and then came around to score on an RBI single by Gabriel Rincoines Jr.
Minor league invitee Matt Kroon made the most of his first at-bat. Kroon drove a ball into the Phillies bullpen behind the left field wall for his first Spring Training home run of 2025. At this point in the game, it made the score 4-3 Boston.
Carson Taylor was the next batter, smacking a single into right field. Another Carson then stepped up to the plate. Carson DeMartini also smacked a ball to right field. This one, however, landed in the berm with the fans, giving the Phillies a 5-4 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, Carson Taylor would want to get one back on his shared named teammate. Taylor would hit the club’s third home run of the game, putting the ball into the right field berm. This extended the lead to 7-4 for the Fightin Phils.
Weekend Preview
On Saturday, the Phillies will hit the road and head to Lakeland, Florida. They will square off with the Detroit Tigers as Aaron Nola takes the ball for the first time this spring. On Sunday, the Phillies will run a split squad, sending half their roster to Dunedin to face the Toronto Blue Jays and keeping half the roster at home against the Baltimore Orioles.
Traditionally, on days when a team has two games, the regular starters will hang back at the home facility. This gives the younger players or guys who are fighting for a roster spot a chance to get more playing time on the away game.
It will remain to be seen on who enters game action this weekend. But as March rolls in, the closer we get to regular-season baseball.
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
