The Philadelphia Phillies really know how to take the wind out of their own fans’ sails. They entered Friday night’s series opener against the Atlanta Braves down 4.0 games in the division, meaning a sweep would have put them just 1.0 game out with 12 left to play. Not only is that impossible now after a gut-wrenching extra-innings loss, but the heartbreaker was followed up with even worse news: skyrocketing lefty Jesús Luzardo will be scratched from Saturday’s start. Now 5.0 games back with another scheduled loss on Saturday, the Phils can kiss the division crown goodbye.
Friday’s affair showcased exactly why Phillies fans have very little faith that this team will make any noise in October. Failing to drive in baserunners, wretched defense, a leaky bullpen and familiar baserunning blunders all came together in the perfect storm to hand Atlanta a 6-5 victory in 11 innings.
Instead of narrowing the gap between the two clubs to a manageable 3.0 games, it now sits at what looks to be a cavernous 5.0. Any fan who remembers the Phils’ spectacular seven-in-seventeen comeback in 2007 knows that anything is possible, but boy does it seem unlikely for this group of guys.
A brutal loss to Braves coupled with even worse injury news looks like curtains for the Phillies' division hopes
While a 5.0-game deficit with only 14 left to play is already a near-insurmountable mountain to climb, whatever flicker of hope the Phils had for the division was completely dashed in the postgame scrum. Manager Don Mattingly told reporters that dynamite southpaw Jesús Luzardo would not make his regularly scheduled start on Saturday due to left shoulder stiffness. He didn't provide any insight into just how serious the issue is, but shoulder injuries have felled even the fiercest hurlers in their prime.
Jesús Luzardo has been scratched from tomorrow’s start because of left shoulder stiffness. Don Mattingly said he thinks rest will help. He didn’t seem to be too concerned, but obviously serious enough not to pitch.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) September 12, 2026
The immediate effect of losing Luzardo is devastating to the Phillies. The 28-year-old has been the club’s best pitcher of late, with his last start being the finest of his career: a 12-strikeout, two-hit complete game shutout against the same vaunted Braves squad. With him on the mound Saturday they still had a fighting chance to keep the division race competitive. Now, with a porous bullpen shouldering the load, it’s all but a guaranteed loss.
The Phillies can ill-afford to lose Luzardo for any length of time. Missing one start might be survivable, but if he’s not ready to go in a Wild Card series, they may not make it out of one. A three-game set can be determined by one dominant starting pitcher, and the Phils have just that in Luzardo.
If his shoulder issue lingers, they’ll likely hand the ball to Zack Wheeler (who has been getting knocked around for over a month), Cristopher Sánchez (who has looked quite mortal since his record-breaking scoreless streak came to an end) and Aaron Nola (who has played the part of a piñata more often than not over the past two seasons).
Phillies fans have recently been debating which of their top three hurlers should get the honor of starting Game 1 of the team’s postseason journey, with many landing on Luzardo as their answer. Now the question becomes not which of their playoff games he’ll start, but if he’ll be able to take the mound at all.
Add us as a preferred source on Google