The Phillies sent 27-year-old lefty Jesus Luzardo to the hill for the second game of a three-game series with the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Two days after Washington’s lefty starter, Mackenzie Gore, bewitched the Phillies with 13 strikeouts over six shutout innings, Luzardo confused the Nationals hitters with a similar pitching display. The newest member of the Phillies starting rotation allowed the first two runs of the game before the Phillies hitters smashed their way to an 11-5 victory with three multi-run home run trots. Philadelphia improves to 2-0 on the season and goes for the series sweep on Sunday afternoon.
Luzardo’s Lone Early Mistake
Luzardo was excellent in his first appearance for Philadelphia. His final stat line reads five hits allowed, two earned runs, two walks, and 11 strikeouts over five innings. Luzardo tossed 94 pitches and was removed by Manager Rob Thompson after the Phillies opened up a sizable lead in the top of the sixth inning.
The only mistake Luzardo made on the day was to Nationals’ switch-hitting catcher Keibert Ruiz, who grooved a home run to left field for a 2-0 Washington lead in the second inning. Otherwise, the southpaw impressed as he shut down the Nationals during his first outing in a Phillies road gray uniform.
Stott’s 4th Inning HR Ties Game at 2
Bryson Stott had a phenomenal day at the play with a 2-2 performance, including a double. a
2-run HR and a pair of walks. In the top of the fourth inning, Stott stepped up to the plate with Max Kepler on base and drove a laser down the right field line and over the green fence to tie the score at two.
After an 0-4 day in Philly’s Opening Day win, the second baseman responded by reaching base during every plate appearance on Saturday. His free passes from Nationals’ pitching led to additional runs for the Phillies in the second game of the Opening Weekend series.
Phillies Plate Patience Pays Off in the 6th Inning
One of Stott’s two walks in the afternoon road win came in the sixth inning to set up a Phillies scoring outburst. With Nick Castellanos on first base, Stott earned a walk against reliever Colin Poche before Brandon Marsh loaded the bases on a single to right field to end his afternoon. Washington’s Lucas Sims stepped into the high-leverage to battle Edmundo Sosa.
Sosa battled Sims to a seven-pitch walk and earned a free run to give the Phillies a 3-2 lead. The next pitch from the righty sailed above the head of Ruiz to the backstop, allowing Stott to score and double the advantage to 4-2.
Three pitches later, Sims left a sweeper over the middle of the plate that Schwaber smashed into the crowd for a 3-run blast and a 7-2 Phillies lead in the blink of an eye. It is the second home run of the season for Schwarber, who now has 133 regular-season homers in four seasons with the Phillies, the most for any franchise he’s played for in an 11-year career.
Marsh Provides More Breathing Room Late
Washington pushed a run across the plate in the bottom of the sixth on an Amed Rosario solo home run to trim the lead to 7-3. Castellanos and Stott walked in the seventh to put runners in scoring position for Marsh. The 27-year-old outfielder drove the first pitch he saw from relief pitcher Orlando Ribalta over the wall and into the Washington bullpen for a 10-3 Phillies lead. Marsh finished with three hits, three RBIs, and two runs scored after a 0-4 performance yesterday.
Johan Rojas replaced Nick Castellanos in the eighth inning and scored Bryce Harper on an infield single to tack an 11th run under “Phillies” on the Nationals Park scoreboard. Washington first baseman Nathaniel Lowe tagged Carlos Hernandez for a 2-run round-tripper that sliced the lead to an 11-5 Philadelphia edge.
With a six-run lead, Phillies reliever Joe Ross entered from the bullpen to close things out for Rob Thompson’s crew. The right-handed reliever allowed a run to score but recorded the final three outs in a come-from-behind victory for the Phillies.
Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
