The Philadelphia Phillies dropped five games back in the National League East on Friday night, falling 6-5 to the Atlanta Braves in 11 innings at Truist Park. Three separate late leads evaporated, poor baserunning continued to plague the team, and left-hander Jesús Luzardo was sidelined due to shoulder stiffness.
Bullpen Meltdowns and Missed Chances in Atlanta
The Phillies held the lead in the ninth, 10th, and 11th innings on Friday night, yet walked away with an excruciating 6-5 defeat against the Braves. The loss also dropped the Phillies into a tie with the Cubs for the top National League Wild Card spot, though Chicago holds the tiebreaker and would host a best-of-three series at Wrigley Field.
Manager Don Mattingly watched his relief corps struggle to lock down games once again. Jonathan Bowlan took over a 3-2 lead in the ninth frame in place of closer Jhoan Duran, who was unavailable after pitching on Wednesday and Thursday. Bowlan surrendered a pair of ground-ball singles, allowing Mike Yastrzemski to score the tying run after outfielder Derek Hill bobbled a grounder from Sean Murphy in center field.
Two ground balls. I mean, it’s tough. They’re ground balls that found holes. It’s just part of it. All you can do is take it one pitch at a time.
The bullpen’s inability to close out games echoes postseason struggles that have haunted the franchise in recent years. Since Game 2 of the 2023 National League Championship Series, the Phillies’ bullpen has posted a 5.58 ERA with seven blown saves in the playoffs.
Contagious Baserunning Mistakes Come Back to Haunt Phillies
Beyond late-inning pitching struggles, recurring fundamental errors on the bases hurt the Phillies’ chances of building a secure cushion. Bryce Harper led off the top of the ninth inning with a double, representing a prime opportunity to score an insurance run and take pressure off the bullpen. Instead, when Alec Bohm hit a ground ball toward the left side, Harper broke toward third base before stopping and getting caught in a rundown. Braves shortstop Mauricio Dubón applied the tag, erasing the baserunner and any immediate threat.
Mattingly acknowledged that mental lapses on the basepaths have become a troubling trend across the roster during a crucial stretch of the season.
A little bit contagious. I don’t understand it, really. Again, we’ll just keep talking about it and working through it.
Extra-Inning Battles and Bullpen Options Tested
The Phillies traded blows with Atlanta deep into extra innings, briefly reclaiming the advantage twice. In the 10th frame, rookie Justin Crawford came off the bench and ripped a first-pitch single to score the automatic runner, keeping up a stellar season average of .348 with runners in scoring position. Mattingly turned to Chase Shugart to protect the 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 10th rather than Orion Kerkering, who has been managing left foot turf toe and wearing a walking boot outside the ballpark.
Although Kerkering maintained he was available to pitch, Mattingly expressed confidence in Shugart’s recent trajectory.
I just like the way he’s been throwing the ball. The last probably 45 days, his outings have been good.
Shugart could not hold the 10th, allowing the automatic runner to score on a sacrifice fly by Dubón that leveled the score at 4-4. In the 11th, Luis Arraez supplied another clutch single to drive home a run, giving Philadelphia a 5-4 edge. But with two outs in the bottom of the frame and a runner on second, left-hander Brooks Raley yielded a game-tying single to Ha-Seong Kim and a decisive walk-off double to Drake Baldwin.
Jesús Luzardo Sidelined by Shoulder Stiffness
Compounding the sting of the late-game defeat, the team announced a rotation setback prior to first pitch. Left-hander Jesús Luzardo will not make his scheduled start on Saturday night due to stiffness in his left shoulder. Luzardo threw a dominant two-hit shutout against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, but struggled to get loose during the week in Atlanta. The organization hopes he can return to the mound next week, though any lingering absence would deal a heavy blow to their fading postseason momentum.