The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves complete their four-game series this evening on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Philadelphia is seeking a sweep against Atlanta after a punishing 19-4 win on Thursday, a nail-biting 2-1 victory on Friday, and an extra-innings walk-off celebration in a 3-2 win last night.
Starting Pitching Matchup - Luzardo (12-6, 4.23 ERA) vs. Waldrep (4-0, 0.90 ERA)
Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo returns to the mound after a disappointing outing in his last appearance, a 6-5 loss to the New York Mets on August 26. Luzardo tossed four innings, allowed five hits and four earned runs, and struck out five batters. It was mostly disappointing given his performance against Seattle, a three-hit gem over six innings with a career-high 12 strikeouts in an 11-2 Phillies win.
“The key to Zeus is attacking hitters,” Phillies coach Rob Thomson said pregame. “Attacking the strike zone. He’s been leaning on the slider quite a bit lately. He just needs to attack.”
Atlanta sends righty Hurston Waldrep to the mound tonight for his seventh career MLB start. In four starts in 2025, Waldrep is 4-0 with a 0.90 ERA and a 24-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In his last outing, the 23-year-old pitched 5.1 innings, scattered eight hits and one earned run in an 11-2 Braves win over the Miami Marlins. “Good stuff,” Thomson said pregame. “Heavy fastball, a lot of velocity to it. Curveball and sliders, he throws them a lot.”
Castellanos in Lineup After HBP last night
Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos was plunked by a pitch in the wrist/forearm area late in last night’s game leaving many Phillies fans to wonder about his status post game.
“He’s good,” Thomson said regarding Castellanos’ status pre-game. “It kinda hit him about here” before rubbing his wrist/forearm area to indicate where the ball hit the Phillies outfielder.
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Castellanos has struggled over the last two series with 2 hits in 18 at-bats. He was 1-for-9 in three games against the New York Mets earlier this week. He has equaled that stretch with a 1-for-9 performance in the three wins over the Braves. Castellanos has a .252 average with 16 home runs and 61 RBIs during the 2025 regular season.
Walker Buehler Expected to Sign with Phillies
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Phillies will be signing pitcher Walker Buehler, after he was recently waived by the Boston Red Sox. The agreement is currently pending a physical. Phillies reporter Matt Gelb of The Athletic was the first to report the Phillies interest on Sunday morning via social media.
The timing of the deal is significant as the deadline to be on an MLB 40-man roster and be playoffs eligible is tonight, August 31. Therefore, there could be some roster maneuvers by Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski following tonight’s contest with Atlanta.
Buehler was 7-7 with a 5.45 ERA in 23 games for the Red Sox this season after spending the first several years of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Buehler owns a 54-29 record with a 3.56 ERA over 154 regular-season games.
More important to Phillies fans, Buehler is 4-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 19 playoff games. He completed the 2024 postseason with a 1-1 record, a 3.60 ERA, and one save - closing out the clinching game as the Dodgers captured the 2024 World Series.
