Luzardo's 10-strikeout gem after rugged start helps Phillies sweep Mets to extend NL East lead

Audio By Carbonatix

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jesús Luzardo had no idea he was perfect — well, at least over the final seven innings — until he fanned Francisco Lindor in the eighth for his 10th strikeout of the game and 200th this season.

Luzardo made his case to Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson to finish the game — but no dice.

Not with Jhoan Duran around to close it out.

Luzardo had to settle for retiring his final 22 batters Thursday night in one of his most dominant performances this season, one made even more astounding by the fact he gave up five hits and four runs in the first inning.

In his third start of the year with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks, Luzardo got run support from Otto Kemp and Bryce Harper in a 6-4 comeback win over the New York Mets.

Kemp homered and had three RBIs for the Phillies, who swept the four-game series. They have won eight of 10 overall and are poised to secure their second straight division title. The victory pushed their NL East lead over New York to 11 games with 15 to play, and they could clinch this weekend against Kansas City.

“The whole game, really, was probably as impressive a win as we've had all year,” Thomson said.

Luzardo (14-6) hasn't lost since Aug. 14 and has steadied himself after a rough patch in the middle of the season.

He threw 23 pitches in the first inning and only 74 the rest of the game. The left-hander did it all without realizing he hadn't permitted a baserunner over the final seven innings.

“I knew it had been a while, but I wasn't sure,” Luzardo said. “In the eighth, the first was already kind of a blur, so I didn't really think too much of it.”

Even with Philadelphia ace Zack Wheeler out for the season because of complications from a blood clot, Luzardo, Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez are about as formidable a top of the rotation as any contender has in baseball.

Throw in playoff veteran Aaron Nola, who returned to form with six shutout innings in the first game of the series, and it's no wonder the Phillies believe they can finally win it all after falling short each of the last three postseasons.

“It's hard to lose one of, if not the best, pitchers in baseball,” Luzardo said. “The only thing we can do is continue and kind of step up and do as well as we can. I think everyone's done that.”

The new guys sure help.

Luzardo, who had battled various injuries throughout his career, was acquired on the cheap in the offseason from the Marlins.

But just look at the makeover since the July 31 trade deadline.

Harrison Bader has solidified center field since he was obtained from Minnesota and was on such a tear that Thomson moved him to the leadoff spot during this series once NL batting leader Trea Turner was sidelined with a hamstring injury. Bader, who played for the Mets last season, is batting .528 (19 for 36) against them this year and his go-ahead hit Thursday was his third already for Philadelphia in the sixth inning or later.

“He brings a little swagger to the club,” Thomson said.

Bader has become an instant fan favorite for a franchise with plenty of them. The Phillies reached 3 million in total attendance at Citizens Bank Park for the third consecutive season.

“It's everything I've really kind of worked for and asked for,” Bader said. “There's a lot of passion in the stands, a lot at stake, and I really wouldn't have it any other way.”

Duran — also obtained from the Twins in a separate deal — struck out all three batters in the ninth for his 29th save, as the final 25 Mets batters went down. He has 13 saves already with the Phillies and is yet to walk a batter while racking up 20 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings. He's blown only one save chance with Philadelphia.

The Phillies are 26-13 since the trade deadline, the best winning percentage in baseball during that span.

“We're better,” since the deadline, Thomson said. “I don't know how to quantify it. But we're better. Duran at the end, he's a difference-maker.”

The Phillies were swept by the rival Mets at Citi Field in a three-game series in late August that seemed to tighten the NL East race. Instead, the Phillies have gone on their usual late-season surge to stamp themselves the class of the division, while the Mets went from fighting for first place to just fighting for a wild card.

New York dropped the last six games of a 3-7 road trip, trimming its lead over Cincinnati and San Francisco to 1 1/2 games for the final National League playoff berth.

“Right now, we're still in a playoff spot,” Jeff McNeil said. “Could be worse.”

Could be better.

Just ask the Phillies.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB