THE PHILLIES HAND THE DODGERS THEIR FIRST LOSS

BY ROCK HOFFMAN

The intensity was ratcheted up on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park as the Philadelphia Phillies welcomed the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers for the first of a three-game weekend set. That the Dodgers had yet to lose in eight games only added to the drama. Of course, they weren't going to go 162-0 but now it's official as the Phils won 3-2 behind an outstanding performance from starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo and just enough offense.

"The quality of the opponent," said Luzardo, after his first start at Citizens Bank Park as a Phillie, "for sure. I think [it was] probably one of my most, well executed starts in my career. I'm just happy to give us a chance to win."

Luzardo threw seven scoreless innings, becoming the first Phillies starter to accomplish that in his home debut since Michael Lorenzen no-hit Washington on August 9, 2023. He allowed four baserunners (two hits and two walks) while striking out eight.

"Making the pitches where we needed to make them," added Luzardo when asked about his execution, "moving the ball around. J.T. (Realmuto) did a great job of calling the game back there. I didn't shake once; I trusted him, the homework that he does, and the plan that we set together. We executed it well."

JESÚS LUZARDO WAS OUTSTANDING IN PHILLIES WIN

The Phils scored in the first when Trea Turner doubled with one out, he was in the process of stealing third base when Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw the ball away, allowing the Phillies shortstop to score.

It stayed that way until the seventh inning as Yamamoto was nearly as good as Luzardo. The second-year man went six innings, giving up just one run on three hits and three walks, He struck out five.

In the bottom of the seventh, Max Kepler drew a leadoff walk, he went to third on a bloop double by Nick Castellanos after Realmuto went down on strikes. Bryson Stott was able to poke one past the infield that was playing in and through the hole at shortstop. It scored Kepler. Then Stott was running on a ball Brandon Marsh hit to second baseman Tommy Edman, who only had one play - throwing Marsh out at first – the other runners were safe, including Castellanos with an important third run.

In the Dodgers eighth inning, Shohei Ohtani singled with two outs to give LA runners at the corners. Phillies relief pitcher Matt Strahm was lifted for José Ruiz and on his third pitch to Mookie Betts, Ohtani tried to steal second but was gunned down by Realmuto.

Jordan Romano pitched the ninth, Betts walked to lead it off, then Edman jumped all over a hanging breaking ball, depositing it in the right field seats for a two-run home run and a lot of anxious Phillies fans, who worried that the Dodgers would score their seventh come-from-behind win of the season.

Romano got a strikeout but then walked Will Smith, who was removed from the game for pinch runner Chris Taylor. Pinch hitter Max Muncy went down swinging and on the play, Taylor went for second. He was called safe by umpire Hunter Wendelstedt but after a replay review, the call was overturned thus ending the game.

"Live, I thought I got him for sure," said Realmuto, who couldn't recall ever having thrown out a would-be base stealer to end a game. "Then the first replay, it looked like he was out, when they showed the next couple of angles it was tough to tell whether the tag was there or not, so I wasn't sure. I felt like it was 50-50, which I didn't feel good about."

Realmuto and his teammates can feel good knowing they won eight of 10 games from the Dodgers going back to June 9, 2023.

Game two of the series is on Saturday afternoon, with Aaron Nola facing Roki Sasaki.