Phillies right the ship in a dominant 10-4 win
Apr 26, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Max Kepler (17) hits an RBI-single against the Chicago Cubs during the fourth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
I know it’s early in the season, but it really felt like the team needed this one. After dropping their 5th in a row in a disappointing showing yesterday, the team was at risk of falling below .500 with another loss Saturday.
Luckily, thanks to a great outing from Jesus Luzardo and a lot of small ball, the Phillies avoided that outcome, taking a 10-4 win in Chicago.
Max Kepler leads the way in a 12-hit day offensively
You read that right. 8 of the 9 Phillies hitters got a base hit Saturday, with Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott getting 2 and Kepler with 3 hits in what was his best performance as a Phillie. After a quiet first 3 innings, the Phillies batted through the order in the top of the fourth, scoring 6 runs on 6 hits to break the game open.
The Phillies would tack on 3 more in the 6th, and then the 10th came off a solo shot from Kepler in the 7th inning.
This was a big game for Kepler, who went 3-5 with 2 singles and the aforementioned home run. The long-time Minnesota Twin signed with the Phillies on a 1 year, $10 million contract after his injury-riddled 2024 campaign.
The outfield was one of the top priorities for the Phillies heading into the offseason, with the lack of hitting from Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas. Many Phillies fans, including myself, liked the move but would have liked to see more to address the issue, especially after Kepler’s slow start to the season.
Luckily for the Phillies, Kepler has not only turned it around but has been red hot at the plate for the last 2 and a half weeks. Since April 9th, he is hitting .316 with 5 RBIs and a home run. Out of all the Phillies in that same time span, only Stott has a higher batting average at .317, and Stott also recorded 2 hits Saturday.
If Kepler can continue to perform at such a high level like he has, it will provide a tremendous amount of outfield depth that the Phillies have been searching for since Bryce Harper‘s move to 1st base, and it will most likely also result in a second contract in Philly for Kepler.
Luzardo continues to dominate
After years of mixed results in Miami, Luzardo has come into Philadelphia and instantly become a difference maker as he now has the lowest ERA on the team in 6 starts.
Luzardo was a low-risk, high-reward buy for Dave Dombrowski in the offseason, as he sent prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd, who were the 4th and 23rd best prospects on the team at the time.
Saturday, against the best offense in baseball so far, Luzardo again did not allow an earned run. He started his day with 4 no-hit innings until the 5th. A Trea Turner error resulted in 2 unearned runs for Jesus. After a mostly silent bottom of the 6th, he ended his day with 6 innings pitched without an earned run and 5 strikeouts.
Matt Strahm took over in the 7th inning and uncharacteristically struggled against the Cubs’ offense. Strahm wasn’t able to make it out of the inning, recording just 1 out, and would be charged with 2 earned runs. Rob Thomson turned to Joe Ross, and he was able to right the ship and record the next 5 outs. Carlos Hernandez closed the game out for the Phils.
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Ethan Whitney
Ethan is a writer for Philly Sports Reports and a Color Commentator for Rally Sports Network. He has been a massive fan of all Philly Sports for as long as he can remember and wants to share that passion with the world. He is looking for a long career in the sports media sphere.
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