Going into the final day of the month, the Phillies have only lost one series thus far. If the Phillies want to keep it that way as the daylight dwindles on Saturday, they will need to make a stand today against the Milwaukee Brewers.
After dropping Friday night’s series opener against the Brewers in a lifeless 6-2 result, the Phillies return to action Saturday afternoon. Jesús Luzardo will take the mound for the Phillies against Brewers’ opener Rob Zastryzny.
Luzardo steps up to be the stopper
With the Phillies on their first two-game skid in over a month, Jesús Luzardo will look to put a stopper to the bleeding on the mound Saturday. The southpaw has pitched phenomenally thus far for the Phillies, owning a 2.15 ERA over 11 starts. He struck out 10 batters apiece in each of his most recent starts against the Athletics and Colorado Rockies.
Amongst the Brewers’ lineup, Luzardo has faired quite well in limited at bats, shutting down the likes of William Contreras and Christian Yelich. Sal Frelick has found some success against Luzardo, going 3-for-5 lifetime against him.
The Brewers are opting again to utilize an opener to kickoff Saturday’s game. Rob Zastryzny will open the game for Milwaukee before handing the ball over to Chad Patrick. The 26-year-old Patrick currently owns a 2.97 ERA on the season despite his 2-4 record. He recently pitched 4.2 shutout innings against the Boston Red Sox, striking out six while allowing three hits and two walks. The right-hander primarily throws a fastball, mixing in his cutter and four-seamer, which clocks in at an average of 93.7 mph. His main secondary pitch is his sinker while he also mixes in a changeup and slider on occasion. Patrick’s arm typically slots at about a 35-degree angle, making his fastball trail in on left-handers.
Waking up the bats
Yesterday, the Brewers’ pitchers kept the Phillies to weak contact as the team racked up 18 ground-ball outs, 17 of them being hit to pull. Post-game, Rob Thomson indicated the Phillies need to get back to using the entirety of the field as an offense.
Perhaps no bat has been as cold lately as J.T. Realmuto. The catcher is batting .152 over his last 11 games, managing only seven hits and 13 strikeouts on the stretch. The catcher’s timing has been off at the plate, resulting in a lot of pull swings as of late. As Thomson described, Realmuto is at his best when he is driving the ball into right-center field.
“It tells me he’s got his timing,” said Thomson. “Tells me he’s got his swing path.”
There is perhaps no greater catalyst for the Phillies’ offense than Bryce Harper. Harper has yet to swing a bat since his elbow injury Tuesday night and the Phillies will need to make a decision today as to whether the first baseman requires a stint on the 15-day Injured List.
“He’s one of those guys where you always know where he’s at, and so, you plan around that,” said Thomson. “It’s difficult, but, we can’t control it. We’ve got to play through it.”
How is the weather looking for tonight?
The rainy morning should subside well in-time for Coca-Cola Photo Day this afternoon. By the time first pitch comes around at 4:05 p.m., however, there is a chance for a storm system to come through. The Phillies will no doubt attempt to play through the conditions, but a delay could be in the cards early into tonight’s game.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
