Behind Jesus Luzardo, Phillies chase series win vs. Braves

A night after posting a dramatic victory over their National League East rivals, the visiting Philadelphia Phillies will look to earn a series win against the slumping Atlanta Braves on Thursday night.

In a back-and-forth affair, the Phillies won their sixth game in the past eight tries after Trea Turner's go-ahead homer in the ninth inning against Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias gave the club a 4-3 victory.

Turner, who was 2-for-12 in his previous three games, connected on his first homer of the season. Bryce Harper launched a two-run homer, and reliever Jose Alvarado got the win.

The Phillies' last six contests have been decided by two runs or fewer.

With a chance to clinch its fourth consecutive series to begin the season, Philadelphia is prepared for what could be a pitching duel on Thursday.

Starter Jesus Luzardo (2-0, 1.50 ERA) has surrendered just two earned runs in 12 innings and is coming off a dominant seven-inning shutout effort against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. The Phillies won 3-2.

After being traded from the Miami Marlins in December, the left-hander has cemented himself as another reliable arm in a Philadelphia rotation that already boasts Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola.

"Everyone on this staff has a lot of experience and ability, and I think that when we're all pitching well, we're a force to be reckoned with," Luzardo told CBS Philadelphia. "There's so much talent and experience, and everyone feeds off each other. ... It's been awesome so far throughout the spring and into the season."

Luzardo, 27, made just 12 starts with Miami a season ago before enduring a season-ending lumbar injury in June. In seven career starts against the Braves, he is 3-3 with a 4.29 ERA.

A nightmare start to the season continued for Atlanta on Wednesday, which dropped its ninth game in 11 tries -- matching its worst start since 2016, when it began 2-9 and finished with 93 losses.

Austin Riley sparked the Braves with a game-tying homer in the seventh inning on Wednesday, but the team couldn't rally to record its second straight win.

"We had the deck stacked in our favor a couple of time, and we just couldn't pierce a gap, get a big hit. Things that have been haunting us since the beginning of this year," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "I'm still holding out that it's going to happen. We're going to hit with guys on base, win games we should. Guys are fighting their tails off. We're giving ourselves a chance."

Atlanta is batting .215 and has just 34 runs -- tied with the Chicago White Sox for the second fewest in baseball.

A bright spot in a brutal beginning to the year, Thursday's starter, right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach (1-0, 0.00 ERA), will aim to help the Braves take their first series of the season.

Schwellenbach, who debuted last May, has pitched 14 scoreless innings while allowing only three total hits.

In three starts against the Phillies in 2024, he went 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA.

--Field Level Media