Success has not come easily this season for Jesus Luzardo.
The Phillies' left-handed pitchers have gone through highs and lows to begin 2026. After signing a long-term extension in Spring Training, it felt like Luzardo would ascend to the next level.
Much like his season to this point, Luzardo's outing Monday night mirrored what we have seen: a constant battle.
In the first inning, Luzardo allowed two straight singles to lead off the game.
With two on, the Phillies' starter induced a routine ground ball to Trea Turner at shortstop. This could and should have been a routine double-play ball. Instead, Turner could not field the ball cleanly, loading the bases with nobody out.
Oftentimes this season, Luzardo has unraveled with runners in scoring position. He very easily could have fallen into the same trap in the first inning.
Instead, Zeus battled back. A strikeout by Manny Machado gave Philly their first out. A strikeout of Jackson Merril was their season. An infield groundout to Nick Castellanos would end the frame, allowing Luzardo to escape the first inning scoreless.
Most innings in Monday's outing featured Luzardo pitching from the stretch, another action that he has struggled with.
Despite the prior outcomes, a fresh mentality saw the Phillies' lefty continue to battle.
His fastball had incredible life against San Diego, topping out at 99.4 miles per hour. For his final pitch of the ballgame, he threw a 4-seam fastball at 98.3 miles per hour.
Luzardo finished the outing with 6.0 innings pitched, four hits, two walks, and six strikeouts. He had 15 swing and misses from Padres' hitters. He tossed 104 pitches, 64 for strikes.
While three runs often won't be enough, the Phillies were able to finally capitalize on a dominant outing by a starting pitcher.
In the first inning, Kyle Schwarber blasted his 21st home run of the season to right field. Schwarber has seemingly always found Petco Park in San Diego to be a comfortable place to hit. He added to his lore on Monday, giving the Phillies the only run they would need.
Later in the ballgame, the Phillies clung to their 1-0 lead.While Luzardo danced out of trouble, the Phillies needed to tack on more runs.
In the seventh inning, they did exactly that, thanks to Brandon Marsh.
Marsh has been one of the better stories for the Phillies in 2026. Entering play on Monday with a .320 batting average, Marsh hit his fifth home run of the season. Schwarber would also come in to score on the base hit.
Jhoan Duran would enter the ballgame with a 3-0 lead.Duran would allow a two-out single to Ty France but have an easy inning to earn his 10th save on the season. For Duran, it was the 100th save of his career and 26th as a member of the Phillies.
