Phillies Salvage Series vs Braves Behind Masterclass Jesús Luzardo Outing

The Philadelphia Phillies were able to salvage their four-game series with the Atlanta Braves on Monday, winning the finale 1-0. The only offense came from a moonshot home run by slugger Kyle Schwarber, but that was all the Phillies needed. Starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo put together a special performance on the mound, completely shutting down the Braves offense. The left-hander put together his first career complete game and shutout. Luzardo fired nine scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and one walk on 109 pitches, while striking out 12. This was exactly the type of performance that the Phillies needed from him today, especially after the team blew the game on Sunday. Philadelphia had a chance to pull closer to the Braves in the National League East division, but the bullpen gave up a three-run lead late. Luzardo has been incredible since August, throwing 50 innings and striking out 64 batters. Over this span, he has recorded a 1.08 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP. His numbers mark the lowest ERA and most strikeouts among qualifying starting pitchers. Luzardo has shown that he can be a heavily trusted piece of this starting rotation, especially as the regular season starts to wind down. The Phillies now have a record of 81-63 on the second, sitting four games back of the Braves for the division. The two teams split the four-game series, keeping everything the same as when the matchup first started. While the Phillies would have liked to pick up at least a game, after the way Sunday went down, this is the best-case scenario. Plus, these two teams will play another three-game series this coming weekend, giving Philadelphia another chance to close the gap. In between, the Phillies will be hosting the Houston Astros for a three-game series. The Braves will be taking on the Tampa Bay Rays over a three-game series before the next NL East showdown. The three-game series this weekend could determine a lot for both teams. For the Phillies, it could give them a chance to push closer to overtaking Atlanta in the division. But first, the Phillies will need to focus on the Astros, not allowing themselves to lose sight of the plan. However, this team has to be feeling good about this performance from Luzardo and where things are considering everything. The pressure is certainly on over the final few weeks, but the Phillies are confident that they can catch fire just in time for the playoffs.