March 29, 2026
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
Jesus Luzardo reacts after allowing a home run against the Rangers during the third inning at Citizens Bank Park.
Kyle Schwarber blasted a two-run homer in his first at bat of the year, rookie Justin Crawford had two hits, ace Cris Sánchez tossed six scoreless innings and Alec Bohm added a three-run bomb from the cleanup spot.
It was Opening Day, the weather was dazzling and the Phillies felt like they had it all together already.
And then the next 20 innings happened.
Philly lost its opening series to the Texas Rangers after showing so much promise in their Thursday opener. There are 159 games left to go. It's going to be fine.
But what if it's not? A team with some fatal weaknesses might have them yet again. Is it time to panic? We've singled out five things that were troubling in Citizens Bank Park this weekend. One alarm means, don't sweat it. Five alarms means it's worth being worried.
The run he allowed in Game 1 wasn't entirely his fault. After the Phillies led comfortably 5-0 in the season opener thanks to the aforementioned Sánchez 10-strikeout gem and Schwarber and Bohm's home runs, Duran had to be summoned to get the game's final two outs with a man on third and an inherited runner crossed the plate.
But in the middle game, the flame-throwing closer gave up two runs in the 10th innings thanks to two hits and a wild pitch. He was tagged for the first loss of the season for the Phillies staff. It's early, and Duran is still finding his sea legs. But the big righty doesn't look unhittable and the Phillies really need him to be the anchor of their unproven bullpen.
Duran will find his groove, his velocity is there and his control should return as the season progresses.
The Phillies' former MVP isn't elite right now. He went 0-for-4 in Game 1, had an RBI in the 10th inning in Game 2 that came a bit too late, and walked twice with no hits in the finale. It's possible that a janky spring that included some high pressure World Baseball Classic at bats but not much time for ramp up has made his transition to regular season readiness a little difficult.
Paired with his slump in spring training (which sort of got underplayed after his epic game-tying homer in the WBC final) Harper's slow start is concerning.
After collecting 10 hits (and 12 baserunners) in their opening win, the offense got quiet. On Saturday, the Phillies had just five hits in 10 innings, and they didn't score until the ninth. Aaron Nola pitched pretty well, posting five innings of three-run ball but the cold weather really cooled their bats down.
On Sunday, it was even worse. Just three hits, and two of their three runs came on a hit batter and a sac fly. Runs are runs and the Phillies will take them where they can get them, but a team batting average of .186 after three games is way less than ideal. Schwarber is hitting .154, Trea Turner also .154 (who hit into two double plays Sunday), Bohm .200, Adolis García .091 and J.T. Realmuto .111. Only Crawford, Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott are carrying their weight offensively.
After two solid pitching performances from their starters prior, Luzardo made a mess of his first turn on the mound Sunday. The recently extended lefty battled through six innings, giving the bullpen a needed rest after pitching six innings the day before. But he didn't really keep the Phillies slacking offense in it. A two-run homer in the third and three-run homer in the fourth was all it took — an insurance run also came in the sixth. Make that six earned runs in six hits for Luzardo.
It's less than ideal, but it's one start and he's bounced back from giving up six runs or more before. Zach Pop didn't help an inning later, surrendering two runs to put the Phils behind 8-2 late on Sunday afternoon.
The Phillies' biggest rivals looked dominant in their opener and they won in extras in their second game as the Phillies lost in the same fashion. It's never good to look up this early and see New York ahead in the standings, though early struggles for Bo Bichette does help soften the blow.
For what it's worth, the Marlins swept the Rockies to start the year in a battle of two NL teams expected to join the Nationals in the basement.
Hosting the Nationals, a team expected to contend for the first overall pick, not a playoff spot, will be a nice remedy to put the Phillies back on track in a three-game set starting Monday (with Taijuan Walker, Andrew Painter and Sánchez slated to pitch). The Mets will play the NL Central power St. Louis in their second series.
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