Jesus Luzardo dominated on the mound to hand the previously unbeaten Los Angeles Dodgers their first loss of the season, as the Philadelphia Phillies edged out a 3-2 victory on Friday.
In his second start since being traded from the Miami Marlins, Luzardo (2-0) was lights out, tossing seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts while giving up just two hits and two walks. Catcher J.T. Realmuto played a key role in preserving the win, gunning down runners at second base to end both the eighth and ninth innings.
The Dodgers made a late push when Tommy Edman belted a two-run homer in the ninth off Jordan Romano to cut the lead to one. Romano then walked Will Smith, who was replaced by pinch-runner Chris Taylor. But Romano bounced back by striking out Max Muncy before Realmuto caught Taylor stealing—confirmed after a manager’s challenge—to seal the Phillies’ win.
Philadelphia jumped ahead in the first inning thanks to a heads-up play from Trea Turner. After doubling, Turner stole third, and a rushed throw from Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-1) sailed into foul ground, allowing Turner to score.
Luzardo was sharp early, setting down the side in order in four of the first five innings. In the second, after a leadoff single from Teoscar Hernandez, Luzardo struck out the next three batters to shut things down.
He faced a bit of a test in the sixth, walking Andy Pages before striking out Shohei Ohtani and picking off Pages to end the inning. The Dodgers threatened again in the seventh, putting runners on the corners, but Luzardo escaped by striking out Enrique Hernandez.
The Phillies extended their lead in the seventh with two runs off reliever Kirby Yates—Bryson Stott drove in one with a single, and Brandon Marsh added another with a groundout, making it 3-0.
L.A. tried to rally in the eighth, putting two runners aboard with Mookie Betts representing the tying run. But Realmuto again came through, throwing out Ohtani attempting to steal second to end the threat.