Phillies

Phillies Waste a Jesus Luzardo Gem in Series Finale Loss to Braves

By Luke Arcaini

Published: Aug 31st, 2025 · 10:38 PM EDT

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Jesus Luzardo was masterful on Sunday night, but it wouldn’t end up mattering after a bad night from the offense and bullpen.

Luzardo was in control all night, allowing just two hits and walking one batter. Michael Harris’s single in the 5th inning was the only ball that the Braves hit over 100 mph while Luzardo was on the mound. Only four others balls in play were hit over 90 mph all night for Atlanta.

The Phillies lefty has really started to find it again in the month of August after a rough middle of the summer. Luzardo came into tonight with a 3.86 ERA in August, which is now down to 3.12. He’s gotten through six innings in five of his six starts in the month.

Rob Thomson had nothing but praise for the southpaw after the game:

“He was great. Velocity was good, first pitch strikes were good, a lot of swing and miss, slider was outstanding, threw a handful of changeups. I thought he was really good, I really did.”

The Phillies didn’t give Luzardo much help all night, thanks to a pretty dominant start from Braves rookie Hurston Waldrep. The only run that was scored with Luzardo on the mound was a solo homer by Brandon Marsh, his 8th of the year. The Phillies were 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and left 8 men on base through the first seven innings of the game.

Mashed by Marsh pic.twitter.com/H90cKnOtel

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 1, 2025

Things would get a little interesting in the 8th inning. Orion Kerkering, who has been shaky lately, allowed a soft infield hit, then walked the next two batters to load the bases.

“He’s just misfiring…he has to trust his stuff and attack the zone,” Rob Thomson said after the game. Tanner Banks was then forced into a bases-loaded, no out jam against the top of the Braves lineup, and escaped allowing just one run to tie the game.

Both Jhoan Duran and Matt Strahm were not available tonight, so it was Jose Alvarado’s 9th inning. Alvarado allowed a 2-run homer to Drake Baldwin to give the Braves a 3-1 lead, and the Phillies went down 1-2-3 to lose it 3-1 in the 9th.

The Phillies couldn’t pull out the sweep of the Braves, but they took 3 of 4 after a brutal series earlier in the week against the Mets. The Phillies hold a 6-game lead in the NL East with 25 games to play.