Jesus Luzardo loses the zone, Phillies snap win streak with an 8-3 loss to the Fish

Well, that was gross. The Phillies had a 3–2 lead in the sixth inning and looked like they were cruising to a sixth straight win until Jesus Luzardo completely forgot how to throw a strike and the bullpen decided to turn the mound into a bonfire.

The Marlins, who are still technically a Major League team, outscored the Phillies 6–0 in the final three innings and handed Philadelphia an ugly 8–3 loss last night in Miami.

Jesus Luzardo

Luzardo walked four and opened the bottom of the sixth by walking back-to-back hitters to start the frame. In comes Tanner Banks, who almost escaped jam until Miguel Sanoja roped a go-ahead triple. Xavier Edwards floated a ball out to right field that Max Kepler lost in the lights and just like that, the Phillies lost control of the game.

Nick Castellanos and literally anyone else makes this play, btw…

X keeps it rolling pic.twitter.com/38eRDnJq8C

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) June 18, 2025

Side Note: If you’re wondering why Kepler was out there instead of Castellanos, it’s because Nick was benched for reportedly saying something inappropriate after being lifted late Monday for a defensive replacement.

So now the Phillies are juggling discipline and defensive liabilities which isn’t great. Hopefully the shift in vibes was just for one game.

This was the first loss for the Phillies since last Tuesday, and they’re now 43–30. They’ve beaten up on bottom-feeders all season, going 19–8 against the Rockies, Marlins, Pirates, Nationals, and A’s but have now dropped four of their last five against those very same teams. Not ideal.

As for Luzardo, who fell to 6–3 with a 4.41 ERA, he’s been better lately after tweaking his glove position to stop tipping pitches, but when your command evaporates in a tight game, it doesn’t matter how clever your mechanics are.

The Phillies have now lost four of his last five starts, which says plenty.

Down 5–3 in the seventh, Joe Ross gave up a two-run homer to Jesús Sánchez to pretty much end it. Michael Mercado came in to mop up the eighth and added two more runs to the fire.

Trea Turner was a bright spot again, launching a moonshot 413 feet to left for his ninth homer, all of which have come on the road.

He finished with another multi-hit game and leads the National League with 90 hits. He’s hitting .308 and looks like a lock for the All-Star Game.

Trea Turner HR No. 9

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The Phillies didn’t burn any of their top relievers in this one, and they’ve still got Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez lined up for the next two games in Miami. Could be worse. Could be the Marlins.

Flush this one and start a new streak Wednesday night.

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