On Episode 989 of Hittin' Season, powered by WHYY, John Stolnis of The Good Phight recaps Wednesday night's awful loss to the Red Sox and tries to get to the bottom of Jesus Luzardo's struggles. Also, Cristopher Sanchez is now a bona fide ace, John goes inside the numbers on what makes him so special. And what are the latest Trade Rumors surrounding the Phils? John breaks down all the latest. Could the Phils move Ranger Suarez or Luzardo this summer? Show Notes: Disastrous loss in the finale Phillies blow a 5-0 lead, HRs from Schwarber, Harper, Castellanos & Stott, Realmuto It's the Phils’ first loss in a game they homered five or more times since June 10, 2019. They haven't won three in a row since June 18-20. Blame Realmuto & Luzardo, who had a no-hitter going into the 5th, gives us 6 in the 5th after walking in two runs then serving up a grand slam FELL APART WHILE PITCHING FROM THE STRETCH AGAIN Thomson said they have to keep digging and working on what’s wrong with Luzardo, specifically in the stretch Since June 11, opponents have hit .192/.252/.253 with 37 strikeouts and eight walks when there is no one on base against Luzardo. With runners on base, those numbers jump to .339/.443/.576, 16 strikeouts and 11 walks. (Gelb) Gelb says he went back to his old mechanics last night, but it still didn’t work Jesus Luzardo says he is working day and night to fix his issues and he says they need to be fixed. He says teams are hitting him hard when he is pitching out of the stretch. He says it is not on JT Realmuto losing that foul ball pop-up. He says he and other Phillies lost it as well. Manager Rob Thomson says Jesus Luzardo lost his concentration. Phillies now 3-8 in Luzardo’s last 11 starts They’ve now given Luzardo 3-0, 4-1 and 5-0 leads in July only to have him lose all 3 of them. He posted a 2.15 ERA in his first 11 starts. He allowed 20 runs in his next two. He made significant mechanical changes when pitching from the stretch, and it’s resulted in only a 4.79 ERA over his last nine starts. UNLESS LUZARDO FIGURES THIS OUT, THEIR ENTIRE OFF-SEASON WILL HAVE BEEN A COMPLETE AND UTTER FAILURE The good news is this is a mechanical issue… which would indicate to me it CAN be fixed… but can they fix it in time? PITCH TIPPING: The Red Sox are renowned for doing this. Two pitches later, Story doubled home a run. THIS WAS NOT A STRONG ROB THOMSON GAME Luzardo should have been pulled after the second straight bases loaded walk, but got Jordan Romano up too late… after the game, Thomson admitted that was a mistake Pinch-ran Weston Wilson for Kyle Schwarber in the 10th after Schwarber’s RBI single… Wilson, who is not fast… thrown out trying to steal 2nd to end the 10th With Wilson already used, Max Kepler had to face a lefty reliever and watched a called strike three to end the game in the 11th, instead of having Wilson available to pinch hit Rob Thomson on the 5th inning tonight: Said they have to keep digging and working on what’s wrong with Luzardo, specifically in the stretch Harper’s home run was the 350th of his career Bryce Harper tonight became the youngest of the 8 active players to reach 350 career home runs joining Giancarlo Stanton, Mike Trout, Paul Goldschmidt, Manny Machado, Freddie Freeman, Nolan Arenado, Aaron Judge. Kyle Schwarber's 34 HR are the 3rd-most through 102 games in Phillies franchise history, behind only Ryan Howard in 2006 and Mike Schmidt in 1979 -- both had 36. Cristopher Sanchez is a TRUE ACE: https://www.thegoodphight.com/2025/7/23/24472912/cristopher-sanchez-is-a-real-bona-fide-cy-young-contender WHEELER & SANCHEZ This gives the Phillies a leg-up in the postseason No one can match what the Phillies can do in the playoffs STARK ON SCHWARBER Says he believes Schwarber will be back here 4 years, $100 million is the number… how is he going to have a better deal four years AFTER the first free agent contract??? TRADE DEADLINE LATEST: Jayson Stark on 975 the Fanatic w/ Mikey Miss: Dombrowski wants to use his biggest chips to trade for a big time power bullpen arm controllable beyond this year, Duran, Bautista, no on Miller or Clase If he gets one, it’s a right-handed platoon bat that falls into his lap Bullpen arm is more important than a bat Jeff Passan: The Phillies have quietly built up one of the best farm systems in baseball, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski's history of trading prospects for impact talent is unmatched. Still, with the Phillies entering a transition phase over the next few years, they aren't likely to sacrifice all of their depth. That complicates their tack at this deadline, because they are among the few teams with the need and capacity to acquire a pitcher of Clase's talent. Same goes for Cade Smith, another Guardian, and the Twins' two frontline relievers, Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax. Getting David Robertson for $6 million certainly helps matters and serves as insurance against objectionable demands on high-end relief pitchers. And yet adding Robertson plus a high-octane relief arm alongside Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm gives the Phillies a representative back end. If they can also add a right-handed-hitting outfielder with power -- Adolis Garcia is in the mix, and Luis Robert Jr. would play, too -- it will be a successful deadline for a team whose starting pitching is good enough to carry it deep into October. Ruben Amaro & Jim Salisbury on Phillies Show Very interesting stuff on the show from Amaro (doesn't think they'll be able to get a lock down closer), Aiden Miller might be more untouchable than Painter, and the clubhouse talking about Eugenio Suarez (Salisbury). @JohnnyPhisher: Phillies need a RHH OF @Buster_ESPN: A surprise name has emerged in the starting pitcher market: Dylan Cease, who will be eligible for free agency at year's end. Perception of other teams is that the Padres are intent on making a push for the playoffs, and would use Cease to help fill other roster needs. Mets, AL East teams, Cubs among teams that have talked about him. COULD THE PHILLIES DO SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH RANGER SUAREZ OR JESUS LUZARDO? Jo Adell started slow, but on May 6 he hit a 9th inning HR in a blowout that got things going for him. Since then (67 gms) he has a .907 OPS (top 20 in MLB) with 19 HR (T-6th), and his .563 SLG is higher than any Phillies player. An interesting name: Dane Myers. Plays center field for the Marlins. The right-handed 29 year is wailing on lefties: .324/.385/.493, .878 OPS, 2 HRs, 13 RBIs in 78 PAs, 6 doubles. Would be a platoon guy. The Phillies and Padres are two of the many teams that have expressed interest in Steven Kwan, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Both National League contenders are known to be looking for a left field upgrade.