Phillies look to keep offense rolling against division foe Braves
The Philadelphia Phillies will look to continue their offensive renewal when they meet the Atlanta Braves on Saturday in the second game of their three- game road series. HT Image
Philadelphia scored only one run over the previous three games when it was swept by the Houston Astros. The Phillies emerged from the slumber on Friday by scoring a season high number of runs in a 13-0 victory.
Meanwhile the Atlanta offense continues to struggle. The Braves have been blanked the past two games and have lost three in a row. The exception is first baseman Matt Olson, who went 1-for-5 on Friday to extend his streak of reaching base to a major-league best 28 consecutive games, the longest by a Braves player since Freddie Freeman had a 33-game streak in 2020.
Philadelphia holds a 4-3 lead in the season series and a half-game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East. Atlanta is seven games under .500 and 10 1/2 back of the Phillies.
Philadelphia shortstop Trea Turner led Friday's 17-hit attack by going 4-for-6 with a pair of home runs, with catcher J.T. Realmuto going 3-for-4. Each Philadelphia starting position player picked up at least one hit.
The scheduled starting pitchers for Saturday are Philadelphia lefty Jesus Luzardo vs. Atlanta right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach .
Luzardo threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings against the New York Mets in his most recent start last Sunday. Luzardo allowed three hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in the 7-1 win. It was his second scoreless stint in 16 starts this season.
And NL East games seem to motivate him.
"Ideally you like to have the same juice for every start, but I'd be lying if I said that in starts like this you don't bring a little extra knowing what's on the line," Luzardo said.
"He was really good," manager Rob Thomson said after the game. "He's got really good stuff. He's a competitor and he's going to get after it."
Luzardo is 3-3 with a 3.89 ERA in eight career starts against the Braves, with 53 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings. He received no decision when he faced Atlanta on April 10, when he allowed one run on six hits, one walk and six strikeouts in six innings in the 4-2, 11-inning loss.
Schwellenbach brings a three-game winning streak into the game. In his outing on Monday against the New York Mets, he worked seven innings and gave up two runs on four hits, one walk and four strikeouts and earned the 3-2 win.
Over his past nine starts, Schwellenbach is 5-1 with a 2.74 ERA. During that stretch he has pitched at least six innings in each outing, including a complete-game 6-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on June 11.
"Nothing surprises me with him anymore," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. "You know it's not a small sample anymore. You come to expect it and I think he expects it. He's just so focused."
"Every time I've seen him pitch, I feel he's continued to do an amazing job," Atlanta right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. said.
Schwellenbach has made four career starts against the Phillies, going 2-0 with a 2.22 ERA. He got the start against Luzardo on April 10 and pitched six innings and allowed only one run but did not receive a decision in the Atlanta win.
Field Level Media
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
33 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Nick Kurtz of A's hits 11th home run in 22-game span, 2 months after big league debut
NEW YORK — Nick Kurtz tried not to make too much of his latest home run, his 11th in 22 games. However, this one was special. HT Image 'I am playing at Yankee Stadium. I grew up a Phillies fan,' the 22-year-old Athletics rookie said. 'It's just a surreal moment.' Kurtz broke open the game with a three-run, sixth-inning drive off Clarke Schmidt into the right field short porch, sparking former Yankee JP Sears and the A's to a 7-0 win Saturday. 'When he hits the baseball, he impacts,' A's manager Mark Kotsay said. A group of about 20 of Kurtz's family and friends were on hand, including his mom, Marie, and his dad, Jeff. 'Just the easiest. We don't play in Philly this year,' Kurtz said. He grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, went to Wake Forest and was selected fourth overall in last year's amateur draft, gaining a $7 million signing bonus. He started at Class A Stockton last Aug. 10 and was promoted to Double-A Midland nine days later. Kurtz began this season at Triple-A Las Vegas and hit .400 with six homers and 17 RBIs in his first eight games as part of an opening 13-game hitting streak. That gave him thoughts of a big league callup, but Kurtz went into a 5-for-27 slump with 12 strikeouts. He got a surprising call on April 21, an off day, from Aviators manager Fran Riordan. 'I was in bed sleeping and I wake up to a phone call from him telling me I'm going up,' Kurtz said. 'So that was pretty cool.' Kurtz hit an RBI single against Kumar Rocker in his first plate appearance. helping the A's to a 4-0 win over Texas in his debut on April 23. He hit his first home run at Dodger Stadium on May 13, had a tiebreaking, ninth-inning drive at Kansas City on June 15, then a 447-foot, two-run walk-off drive at home against Houston the following night. Three days later, he added a 10th-inning walk-off homer off the Astros' Josh Hader. Kurtz is hitting .256 with 12 homers. 31 RBIs and and .843 OPS in 45 games. 'There's just a calming presence about him,' said Sears, who has an adjacent locker at West Sacramento's Sutter Health Park. 'At times when guys get here and they've done really well before, they try and do too much or try and swing too much or get too mad when they get out. I think there was a week or two where he was hitting the ball pretty hard but just hitting the ball at guys and I think as a young player you get pretty frustrated. But it seemed like he just never did.' Growing up in Pennsylvania, Kurtz attended games at Citizens Bank Park, sitting in the left-field bleachers near Ashburn Alley. 'I always wanted to catch a home run,' he said. But Kurtz never did. 'I wasn't that lucky,' he quickly added. Kurtz rooted for Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay. His father attended one of the 2009 World Series games against the Yankees, a matchup New York won in six games for its most recent title. That memory still stings. 'I don't like talking about it,' Kurtz said. MLB: /hub/mlb This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Phillies look to keep offense rolling against division foe Braves
The Philadelphia Phillies will look to continue their offensive renewal when they meet the Atlanta Braves on Saturday in the second game of their three- game road series. HT Image Philadelphia scored only one run over the previous three games when it was swept by the Houston Astros. The Phillies emerged from the slumber on Friday by scoring a season high number of runs in a 13-0 victory. Meanwhile the Atlanta offense continues to struggle. The Braves have been blanked the past two games and have lost three in a row. The exception is first baseman Matt Olson, who went 1-for-5 on Friday to extend his streak of reaching base to a major-league best 28 consecutive games, the longest by a Braves player since Freddie Freeman had a 33-game streak in 2020. Philadelphia holds a 4-3 lead in the season series and a half-game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East. Atlanta is seven games under .500 and 10 1/2 back of the Phillies. Philadelphia shortstop Trea Turner led Friday's 17-hit attack by going 4-for-6 with a pair of home runs, with catcher J.T. Realmuto going 3-for-4. Each Philadelphia starting position player picked up at least one hit. The scheduled starting pitchers for Saturday are Philadelphia lefty Jesus Luzardo vs. Atlanta right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach . Luzardo threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings against the New York Mets in his most recent start last Sunday. Luzardo allowed three hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in the 7-1 win. It was his second scoreless stint in 16 starts this season. And NL East games seem to motivate him. "Ideally you like to have the same juice for every start, but I'd be lying if I said that in starts like this you don't bring a little extra knowing what's on the line," Luzardo said. "He was really good," manager Rob Thomson said after the game. "He's got really good stuff. He's a competitor and he's going to get after it." Luzardo is 3-3 with a 3.89 ERA in eight career starts against the Braves, with 53 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings. He received no decision when he faced Atlanta on April 10, when he allowed one run on six hits, one walk and six strikeouts in six innings in the 4-2, 11-inning loss. Schwellenbach brings a three-game winning streak into the game. In his outing on Monday against the New York Mets, he worked seven innings and gave up two runs on four hits, one walk and four strikeouts and earned the 3-2 win. Over his past nine starts, Schwellenbach is 5-1 with a 2.74 ERA. During that stretch he has pitched at least six innings in each outing, including a complete-game 6-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on June 11. "Nothing surprises me with him anymore," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. "You know it's not a small sample anymore. You come to expect it and I think he expects it. He's just so focused." "Every time I've seen him pitch, I feel he's continued to do an amazing job," Atlanta right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. said. Schwellenbach has made four career starts against the Phillies, going 2-0 with a 2.22 ERA. He got the start against Luzardo on April 10 and pitched six innings and allowed only one run but did not receive a decision in the Atlanta win. Field Level Media This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Who was John DiSangro? Temple basketball icon and Phillies producer dies at 60
John DiSangro, who spent years behind the scenes in Philadelphia sports, from Temple University's basketball program to Phillies TV broadcasts, died at the age of 60 on Thursday from a heart attack at his home in Fairless Hills. John DiSangro transitioned to television in 2006 and spent several years at Comcast SportsNet as an associate producer.(John DiSangro/ LinkedIn ) John was born in Philadelphia and resided in Bucks County for the majority of his life. He graduated from Temple University in 1988 with a degree in Journalism and Communications. John began his career in sports back in 1983. He became an integral part of the basketball program at Temple and was the longest-tenured member of Coach John Chaney's staff. John served as the director of basketball operations for 19 seasons and earned a spot in the Temple Basketball Ring of Honor. John DiSangro's television career started in 2006 He transitioned to television in 2006 and spent several years at Comcast SportsNet as an associate producer. Friends and coworkers would tell you he came to production with the same dedication and heart as he demonstrated on the basketball court. He is survived by his longtime partner, Daryl Ehrhart; Daryl's two children, Kristin and John (and his wife Jennifer); and grandchildren Kristin, Jason, Jordan, Jade, Rhys, and Declan. He also leaves behind his siblings Steve (Linda), Gina (John), and Mary (Roy); and nephews Rocco, Lucas, John, and Christopher, as per reports. There will be a viewing at James J. Dougherty Funeral Home in Levittown on Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and again on Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. A service will follow at 11:00 a.m., as per Dignity Memorial. Also Read: Candace Parker set to have first of 2 jersey retirements this weekend in Los Angeles John DiSangro is no more: Netizens pour tribute Meanwhile, several netizens mourned his death and paid tribute on X, with one writing, 'One of the saddest Temple days as we lost the legendary John DiSangro. What is below doesn't begin to describe what a great human being John was. A truly selfless man, and he did it all with a smile. There is no John Chaney without John DiSangro. Now they will be reunited.' 'Prayers for the DiSangro family and everyone John touched. He was the GLUE. RIP after a job well done!!!!' another wrote. 'Just heard the tragic news about john disangro. John chaneys right hand guy. One of the best. Just a good person and hard worker who never let anyone down. Helped me so much in doing my job. A friend. Can never thank him enuf for just being him,' one more chimed in.
