PHILADELPHIA— When the Philadelphia Phillies meet the Los Angeles Dodgers, expect electricity.
Dave Roberts, skipper of the World Series champion Dodgers, knows just what to expect when he comes to Philly. Roberts spoke to the level of competition and how both the Phillies and Dodgers play the game.
“Both teams have been good for so long. I think we play similarly; there is a lot of starpower on both ballclubs. I think there is a mutual respect. I enjoy playing these guys.” – Dave Roberts
Roberts knows that these are two of the best clubs in baseball. Iron sharpens iron, and Roberts even went as far as to say, “There is a little rivalry with us, which is interesting, and I mean that in a really good way.”
Fans of the 2007-2011 Phillies know all about the rivalry that saw the Phillies eliminate the Dodgers in both 2008 and 2009. Those games might have been before his time as skipper in LA, but if these two teams meet in October, expect to get your money’s worth.
Destiny Lugardo of PhilliesNation.com asked Roberts if he found it odd the two teams hadn’t met in the playoffs in recent years. He replied, “Yeah, I don’t necessarily want to talk it into existence…”
Whether or not the Phillies and Dodgers meet up in the playoffs remains to be seen. However, regular season action in South Philadelphia was on the menu Friday night.
Friday Night Luzardo
Jesús Luzardo took the ball at Citizens Bank Park for the first time as a Phillie on Friday night.
In his season debut, Luzardo went 5 strong innings, allowing 2 earned runs and striking out 11 batters. He earned the win as the Phillies took down the Nationals to improve to a 2-0 record. Luzardo had set the standard for himself, and he was determined to raise the bar in his home debut.
Facing up against a loaded Dodgers lineup (that was missing Freddie Freeman), Luzardo came to play. His fastball was electric, staying consistently in the 98-mile-per-hour range. He continued his strikeout barrage from his 1st start, punching out Dodger after Dodger. In the second, he would strike out the side, putting away Will Smith, Kike Hernandez, and Michael Conforto.
Against the Nationals, he would find himself in a lot of deep counts. That was not the case early against the Dodgers, as Luzardo used their aggressive nature against them. In the 3rd, it took the Phillies’ lefty just 7 pitches to end the frame.
At the top of the 6th, Jesus Luzardo had to battle. After a ground out from Miguel Rojas, he would suffer his first walked batter of the game. With one out and a runner on, up stepped the MVP. Already 0-2 for the evening, Shohei needed to get on the board. Luzardo didn’t give him the chance, getting Ohtani to chase a ball in the dirt for strike 3.
With two down, the challenge didn’t get much easier. Mookie Betts, who was also 0-2 in the game, wanted to strike. Betts did not get the chance. A sweet pickoff move by Luzardo caught outfielder Andy Pages sleeping, and the Phillies picked off the Dodgers’ lone base runner to end the frame.
In the top of the 7th, Luzardo would work quickly to get the first two outs. A bloop base hit by Teoscar Hernandez would fall in between Bryson Stott and Nick Castellanos in right field. A walk to Will Smith, and suddenly the Dodgers were threatening again.
Facing Enrique Hernandez, Jesus Luzardo would dig deep, striking out his 8th batter to end his night. Through 2 starts, Luzardo is now 2-0, with a 1.50 earned run average and has 19 strikeouts.
Phillies Strike First
When Trea Turner signed in Philadelphia, everyone was hopeful that he would use his dynamic speed to create chaos. On Friday night, Turner created some chaos.
During the bottom of the 1st inning, Turner smacked a ball down the left field line for a double. The speedy shortstop then got aggressive, taking off before Dodgers’ starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto started his windup. Yamamoto would throw over to try and nab Turner, but the throw was off the mark. Sailing into foul territory, the Phillies’ shortstop would casually drift home to give his team the lead.
That run stood as the only run in the ballgame until the bottom of the 7th inning. Reliever Kirby Yates would end the ballgame for the Dodgers to try and keep the Phillies lead to 1. Yates would walk Max Kepler on four pitches. Nick Castellanos would then double to left field, putting two in scoring position for the Phillies.
With one out, Bryson Stott would step to the dish. Working a 3-1 count, he would smack the ball through the hole into left field. Driving in Max Kepler, the Phillies held a 2-0 lead. Brandon Marsh would come through next, bringing home Castellanos on a groundout to short. A productive out in the game of baseball. This would extend the lead to 3-0.
Sealing the Deal
With a 3-run lead in the 8th, out came the Phillies bullpen to seal the deal.
Matt Strahm would take over for Luzardo, set to face the 7-8-9 hitters for LA. If someone happened to get on, it would leave the door open for Shohei Ohtani to face off against Strahm. With 1 out, Miguel Rojas would single to left field. A strikeout of Andy Pages would create a 2-out scenario for Ohtani versus Strahm.
This time, the 2-time MVP would win the duel. Ohtani singled down the first base line, advancing Rojas to third base. That was it for Strahm, as he would exit after facing just 4 hitters. Jose Ruiz would step in against Mookie Betts, who was the tying run.
For the second time in the game, Betts would not get a chance to make an impact. This time, it was because of Ohtani. The Dodgers’ star tried stealing second base, resulting in a J.T. Realmuto throwdown. A tag by Bryson Stott would end the 8th and the Dodgers’ chances dwindling.
Jordan Romano would get the ball from Rob Thomson in the 9th. A lead-off walk to Mookie Betts and a stolen base would instantly put a runner in scoring position. The next batter, Tommy Edman, would end the shutout. Driving a ball deep to right field and giving LA a chance.
A strikeout of Teoscar Hernandez gave the crowd a small sigh of relief, but not before a walk to Will Smith raised the temperature again. With the tying run now on first, Max Muncy would pinch hit for Kike Hernandez. The powerful slugger held the matchup advantage and was looking to give LA the lead.
With 2 strikes, Romano got Muncy to swing through for strike 3. However, a pinch running Chris Taylor would attempt a steal for 2nd base.
J.T. Realmuto would once again save the game, throwing out Taylor to end the ballgame. The Phillies ended the Dodgers’ undefeated streak at 8 games, improving to a 6-1 record in their young season.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
