Who are the Phillies Starting vs Braves After Jesus Luzardo Gets Scratched?

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo was scratched from his scheduled start against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday after it was revealed he was dealing with stiffness in his shoulder.

Luzardo had been one of the crucial pieces to the Phillies' starting rotation over the last few weeks, with the lefty posting a 1.85 ERA over his last 10 starts. This includes him throwing a complete-game shutout against Atlanta last week.

Phillies manager Don Mattingly revealed that the decision to scratch Luzardo was more precautionary, with the team not wanting to take any chances. But any injury this close to the postseason can be concerning, especially to a key player like Luzardo.

The Phillies will now move forward with an opener for their game against the Braves. Left-hander Tim Mayza will be called up to start for Philadelphia.

Mayza has a 3.23 ERA this season, appearing in 54 games (four starts).

This is far from ideal for Philadelphia, especially after the team dropped the series opener against the Braves. But the Phillies will go with the reality that they are in, hoping for better results against Atlanta today.

Coming into this game, the Phillies are five games behind the Braves in the National League East division. Philadelphia had hoped to gain some ground in this series, making the loss on Friday night that much tougher.

This series is the last time that the two teams will play against one another in the regular season, giving the Phillies two more chances to cut into the deficit. Philadelphia will hope that the bats can come alive against the Braves in this contest, trying to get back in the division race.

But more importantly, the Phillies are also trying to hold onto the top spot in the NL wild-card race. The Chicago Cubs are right on the heels of Philadelphia for the top spot in the race, a place that the Phillies would love to keep entering the postseason.

While the NL East is still the goal, this seems to be getting further and further away from the Phillies as the season has gone on. But keeping the top wild-card spot would position Philadelphia well entering the postseason.

Every game means a little more at this point in the season, and the Phillies seem to be trending in the wrong direction as the year comes to a close. This game against the Braves today could give this team some new momentum, giving more confidence over the final few weeks.