Luzardo Shuts Down Braves in Shutout | MLB News

0:00On September 7th, the Phillies dropped a tough one to the Braves earlier this week, a loss that really hurt their chances in the division race. They were up late in the game, needing just a few outs from their bullpen, but a late home or tied it and another run in the 9th sealed the deal. This meant they lost the season-long tiebreaker, making it an even tougher climb. The next day though, they absolutely needed a win, and Jesus Luzardo stepped up big time. He pitched a complete game shut out, his first ever, throwing 109 pitches and only giving up two hits. It was a dominant performance that kept the Braves off the board entirely. The offense wasn't exactly lighting it up either, but Kyle Schwarber came through in the eighth inning with a solo home run. That was the only run they needed, and it was Schwarber's 43rd of the year, leading all of baseball. So despite a rough outing the day before, Luzardo delivered a gem and Schwarber provided the spark. It was a must win situation, and they got it done, even if the offense was pretty quiet overall.

1:00Now, they're back to being four games behind the Braves, but with that tiebreaker gone, it's really a four and a half game gap. They've got 18 games left to try and close that out, with a big series against Atlanta coming up again soon. That's the story for today. MLB News Today, Driven by AI.