July 09, 2026
Frank Bowen IV/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Jesús Luzardo was excellent again.
Zack Wheeler looked superhuman on Tuesday night, the bullpen looked super ugly on Wednesday, and then Jesús Luzardo pitched like a superstar on Thursday in Cincinnati.
The Phillies won two of three in their series against the Reds to continue their pre-All-Star break road trip, closing out with a 1-0 win courtesy of another stellar outing from the left-handed Luzardo, clutch baserunning from Derek Hill and an RBI single from Justin Crawford in the eighth, and a lights-out last two frames from right-handers Jonathan Bowlan and closer Jhoan Duran.
Luzardo, who was just named a first-time All-Star earlier this week, tossed seven shutout innings with 11 strikeouts and just two hits allowed. He held the line while the Phillies' bats were struggling on the other side against Cincinnati right-hander Brady Singer, through seven shutout innings of his own until the eighth, but in the end, Luzardo came out of it with the winning decision.
Luzardo is 8-4 on the year now, with a 3.51 ERA and three consecutive starts with no more than a single earned run allowed.
The Phillies, meanwhile, are 52-42. The Braves won elsewhere in Pittsburgh on Thursday to stay ahead in the NL East race at 54-38, but the Phils are still keeping up at 3.0 games behind, with one more three-game series in Detroit before the All-Star break back home in South Philly to try to put another dent in that gap.
It just might not all be pretty if they do.
Jesús Luzardo racks up his 11th strikeout of the night 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/fqZyVpcb9I
— MLB (@MLB) July 10, 2026
For every great one or two wins of late, there's been some headscratching – or rather, hairpulling – losses and blowouts to match. The Reds series was no different, with a complete bullpen meltdown getting sandwiched between two starting pitching gems.
Granted, that is just the brand of Phillies baseball fans have gotten used to over the past few years, and so far, it does have them on track to make it to the postseason again.
And yeah, they need reinforcements, again, with the trade deadline a few weeks out.
But the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park is next week, and right now, that seems the more immediate and bigger thing on everyone's minds.
Almost there, but a few more loose thoughts on some beats from the Reds series until then...
• Wheeler was unreal on Tuesday night, mowing through the Reds for seven innings of one-run ball and a career-high matching 14 strikeouts. He's 9-1 with a 2.28 ERA and 98 Ks on the year.
That he was even able to come back for an age 36 season after a procedure and ensuing surgery for a blood clot and thoracic outlet syndrome is remarkable.
But that he came back pitching like the perennial Cy Young candidate he was, or maybe even a bit better, that's insane.
Wheeler should be an All-Star. Major League Baseball made a mistake.
• The Phillies got shelled by Cincinnati in the Wednesday bullpen game, with Tanner Banks getting the worst of it in the fourth inning via back-to-back-to-back home runs.
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
— MLB (@MLB) July 9, 2026
JJ Bleday joins the Reds home run party! https://t.co/4H6YNCLfMz pic.twitter.com/IBl7iBBS0i
It was a brutal watch of an 11-5 loss.
The Phillies' bullpen is collectively carrying a 4.39 ERA, which ranked 21st in the majors ahead of Wednesday night. But it's much worse when narrowed down to their lefty relievers, who are at a 5.48 ERA that ranks 29th out of 30 clubs, per FanGraphs.
Banks and José Alvarado alone have inflated ERAs over 7.00, with Banks sitting at 7.14 after Wednesday night and Alvarado at 7.03 after he came in for the sixth inning and got tagged for four more runs on three walks and two hits – a JJ Bleday RBI single to center with one out and two on, and then a three-run double from Noelvi Marte with the bases loaded and two out.
So here's where the Phillies are at on the mound: either Wheeler, Luzardo, or Cristopher Sánchez take them deep into games (never mind Sánchez's last start), and then they hand the ball over to a stable enough righty or two to bridge to Duran; or they go as far as they can with an unstable Aaron Nola and whoever they try to use in the fifth-day spot start ever since they sent down Andrew Painter, then proceed to play with fire when they have to reach deeper into the pen.
But when they get burned, they get burned.
The Phillies need bullpen help, and though it won't be much of an issue if and when they get back to October, they need an arm to dependably take up that fifth start in the rotation, too – you know, like they've needed every year since, what, 2020?
Until then, you're going to get standard and pretty efficient wins, followed up quickly by some bizarre meltdowns.
The Phils are keeping afloat with it, but frankly, it gets exasperating to watch from night to night.
• On Thursday, Harper announced that he will be participating in the Home Run Derby next week at Citizens Bank Park. Earlier that same day, an investigation from The Philadelphia Inquirer uncovered that FanDuel had enlisted Harper to record a personalized video message as a reward incentive for a local bettor who was deep into a gambling addiction in November 2024.
The investigation found no evidence of Harper having ties to FanDuel or an awareness that the receiver of the message had a gambling addiction. However, Harper, his agent Scott Boras, the Phillies, and Major League Baseball declined to comment, while the MLB Players Association never responded to The Inquirer's request for one.
Weird day, that probably isn't about to make the already muddy waters of legalized sports betting any better.
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