Nothing about the Atlanta Braves' win over the Phillies on Friday night was normal. One rough inning for Chris Sale put the Braves in a hole early, and the offense looked like it was going to fail to show up yet again before one of the crazier comebacks late in a game that you are likely to see. One reason the win was so huge for Atlanta was that they were going up against Jesus Luzardo on Saturday, although that is apparently no longer the case.
The Braves should have plenty of confidence in sending Tyler Mahle to the mound, but Luzardo dominated Atlanta over nine innings earlier this week. Given the team's struggles against quality lefties and losing southpaw-killer Lane Thomas, facing Luzardo in a pivotal series felt like a very tall order.
However, after the game, Phillies manager Don Mattingly revealed that Luzardo was being scratched from Saturday's contest because he is dealing with shoulder stiffness.
Don Mattingly announces that “shoulder stiffness” will keep Jesús Luzardo from starting Saturday night in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/GQui9zRCdX
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) September 12, 2026
Braves get a gift after Phillies' greed with Jesus Luzardo backfires spectacularly
Mattingly probably only has himself to blame here, as he is the one who kept Luzardo in for all nine innings in that last game against the Braves. While his pitch count of 109 wasn't necessarily the problem, there is a big difference in getting up and down with warm-ups over nine innings than six. That decision certainly helped Philly win that game, but it may have come at the cost of Luzardo's availability this weekend.
As of early Saturday morning, the Phillies have not named Luzardo's replacement, but whoever they choose is going to be better for the Braves than Luzardo. All of a sudden, a pitching matchup that seemed to favor Philly now is heavily tilted in Atlanta's favor. The Phillies did say that they will be using an opener on Saturday, which could set the stage for some real fun as Philly's bullpen was already heavily taxed in extras in the loss on Friday. Unless they can get five or more innings from somebody, the Braves will find themselves with a gassed reliever (or two) on the mound against them.
Does Luzardo getting scratched guarantee a thing? Hell no, and anyone who has watched the Braves over the years probably remembers some of the pitchers who have come out of nowhere to dominate Atlanta before disappearing into nothing again. Still, having to deal with Luzardo again was a daunting task, and now, all of a sudden, all of the momentum is tilting in the Braves' direction.
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