Jesús Luzardo Rolls Outstanding August Into September As Phillies Win Sixth Straight Game
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo throws against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Jesús Luzardo may have been on fire in August, but that didn’t stop him from continuing his hot streak into September.
September is finally upon us, and with that comes the final month of the 2026 MLB regular season. The Philadelphia Phillies came into Game 2 of their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 78-60 record, a season-high 18 games over .500. They managed to cut their division deficit to the Braves to four games, keeping them right in the thick of the National League East.
Not only have the Phillies managed to get back into the National League East race, but the Phillies have managed to get all the way back to the top Wild Card spot in the National League, going into Tuesday tied with the Cubs. All season long, it’s felt as though the Phillies were fighting a huge uphill battle to get back into the Postseason race. However, the team was ahead of schedule, putting together an outstanding 21-7 month of August to instantly push them back towards the top of the NL.
While you could credit a lot of things for the 21-7 record in August and the 14-of-16 winning stretch, one thing that’s helped the Phillies pick up so many wins during last month was the dominance from left-handed pitcher Jesús Luzardo.
Luzardo was unhittable in August, posting a 1.31 ERA over 34.1 innings pitched, going 3-0 and helping the Phillies win all five games he started. The lefty struck out 46 batters, the most he’s recorded in a month all season, and in any single month he’s played with the Phillies. The Phillies
The win also marked the ninth straight road decision win for Luzardo, the third Phillies pitcher since 1901 to win nine straight road decisions, joining Larry Christenson and Tom Seaton. While it hasn’t been announced yet, Luzardo may be on his way to winning his first Pitcher of the Month, and the second Phillie to win the award this season after Cristopher Sanchez won it for May.
Despite the six-game winning streak, the Phillies’ offense hasn’t been the most consistent group over that stretch. While it took them a while to pull away in Tuesday night’s matchup, late innings of ABC baseball helped them tack on seven total runs, the most the team has scored in a game since August 22.
Kyle Schwarber led off the game, working a walk, and up stepped Trea Turner, who was the happiest to see the calendar turn to September. In August, Turner batted .215, the second-worst average for a month this season, totaling just 23 hits wth only five being extra-base hits.
Turner decided to start September on the right note, smoking a double to center in his first at-bat, and Schwarber was able to make it all the way to home for the game’s first run. The first inning offense didn’t stop there as Bryce Harper reached on a bunt single to extend his on-base streak to 33 games.
With runners on the corners and still nobody out, Luis Arraez dug in for his first at-bat and smacked a ball to shortstop Geraldo Perdomo. Perdomo was able to field the double play for a quick two outs, but with Arizona playing back, Turner was able to score, doubling the Phillies’ lead.
Luzardo went to work in his half of the first, picking up two strikeouts to get through the frame. Ketel Marte smacked a single for the Diamondbacks’ first hit of the night in the second, but after a strikeout from Nolan Arenado, Luzardo grabbed a comebacker and managed to turn a double play to end the inning.
Harper and Arraez smacked back-to-back singles in the third, and another single this time from Edmundo Sosa loaded the bases for Bryson Stott. With the lefty-lefty matchup against Eduardo Rodriguez, Rodriguez won this battle, managing to get Stott to fly out to keep it a two-run game.
A scoreless fourth from both teams brought up the top of the order for the Phillies in the fifth, and the offense started putting together a solid inning. Harper walked, Arraez singled to move him into scoring position, and Alec Bohm brought him home thanks to a single of his own to extend the lead to three.
After the first four innings went scoreless for Arizona, with two outs in the fifth, Jordan Lawler got the best of an inside heater from Luzardo and smacked it to left for a solo home run, putting the Diamondbacks on the board.
Luzardo worked around it and kept the momentum rolling through a nine-pitch sixth. The seventh inning saw Luzardo pick up a pair of forceouts after allowing a leadoff single, but nearing the 100-pitch mark, Luzardo walked the tying run on base with Perdomo set to follow.
Phillies skipper Don Mattingly elected to end Luzardo’s night with two runners on and turn to the red-hot bullpen to get him out of the jam. Jonathan Bowlan was called on, and he came through, striking out Perdomo to end the inning.
In the eighth, the floodgates opened for the Phillies. Stott led the inning off with a walk, J.T. Realmuto singled, and a pinch-hitting Justin Crawford singled as well, bringing in Stott from second. A sac fly from Schwarber added a fifth run, and Harper smoked a single to right for his fourth hit of the night, extending the Phillies’ lead to 6-1.
A Bohm leadoff double in the ninth and a sac fly from Stott brought in another run, and Chase Shugart snagged three lineouts to right in the bottom half of the inning, finishing off the 7-1 win for the Phillies and their sixth straight win on the road.
The Phillies now sit in the sole spot for the top Wild Card spot in the National League and sit three games back of the Braves for the top spot in the East.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
Get New Articles Emailed Right To Your Inbox:
