What we learned as adaptable Phillies blast Mariners, back Luzardo's gem originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
SEATTLE — All series long, the Phillies saw a common thread from each opposing Mariners starter.
Fastballs, fastballs and more fastballs.
Logan Gilbert used his 49 percent of the time Monday, up nine percentage points from his season average. George Kirby used his 40 percent Tuesday, up 12 percentage points. Bryan Woo came in averaging 47 percent.
Lots of numbers, lots of heaters.
And before Wednesday’s series finale, Don Mattingly saw the same challenge coming again.
“Their starters are all similar. They remind me of Pittsburgh, where you get four or five guys and they’re all the same,” Mattingly said pregame. “They’re not exactly the same, but they’re all have good stuff, good velocity, they speed you up. They seem to pitch good in this ballpark.”
Woo would actually throw his fastball 57 percent of the time Wednesday.
It became very clear what the Mariners were doing. They were going right after a Phillies lineup that had built a patient, walk-oriented identity in August, leading to a jump in on-base production and a steep drop in chase.
For two nights, the Phillies had no answers. Seattle’s plan on the mound was working.
“The challenges are the same because you still gotta hit it,” Mattingly said. “It’s back to game planning. What can you handle? What can’t you handle? Where do you want to try to take? What are you given?”
On Wednesday, the Phillies handled the heat.
They jumped Woo early, backed Jesús Luzardo’s gem and thumped the Mariners 6-0 to salvage the final game of their three-game set at T-Mobile Park.
SEE IT, HIT IT
Woo entered the start as the best American League starter at home, carrying a 1.96 ERA in 10 starts in Seattle. Over his previous seven home starts, his ERA was 0.79.
But the Phillies looked ready to jump on him early and often.
In the first, Kyle Schwarber battled away a couple of Woo fastballs before getting a slider low in the zone and driving it to right-center for a ground-rule double.
After Trea Turner struck out, Bryce Harper took a big swing at a first-pitch four-seamer at the top of the zone and fouled it back. Woo came right back inside with the same 98 mph fastball.
Harper took the same kind of swing and pounded one the other way to left-center, just over the outstretched glove of Julio Rodríguez for his 27th home run of the season.
The next inning, Philadelphia stayed with the same approach.
Bryson Stott doubled, Brandon Marsh walked and two batters later, Justin Crawford worked a gritty nine-pitch at-bat. He kept fouling balls off, waiting for another fastball, then slapped a run-scoring single through the right side.
Crawford is now hitting .329 with runners in scoring position, showing the kind of pesky, ground-ball-oriented approach that made him so difficult to defend in the minors.
And that brought up the Phillies’ leadoff man.
SCHWARBARIAN’S 40TH
As he did in his first at-bat, Schwarber battled Woo.
This time, he hunted the fastball, got one up in the zone and drove it into the right-field seats for his 40th homer of the season.
He just keeps slugging.
It is Schwarber’s second straight season with 40 or more, after he led the majors last year with 56. It is his fourth 40-homer season in the last five years, all with the Phillies.
That ties Ryan Howard for the most 40-homer seasons in franchise history. Howard had four straight from 2006 to 2009.
Schwarber makes the five-year, $150 million deal he landed in the offseason look like a no-brainer. The Phillies are thrilled.
He encapsulates so much of what Philadelphia values, on and off the field, and can lift the offense in more ways than one.
Sometimes, literally.
It was Schwarber’s 380th career homer.
Getting to 500 could very well be his ticket to Cooperstown one day. And if that happens, it almost certainly will come in a Phillies uniform.
ROAD LUZARDO ROCKS
Interestingly enough, Luzardo entered with a 1.95 road ERA, one point lower than Woo’s home ERA.
Something had to give.
In this case, it was Woo, not Luzardo.
The Mariners did not have a hit until there were two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Luzardo got ahead of hitters, his sweeper generated chase and he located his four-seam fastball. That was especially important against Cal Raleigh, who had homered four times in the first two games of the series.
Luzardo struck him out all three times he faced him.
You could see the confidence Luzardo had on the mound Wednesday. He even tried an ABS challenge, something he has said he would usually try to avoid.
He continues to dominate away from home. After seven scoreless innings, one hit and nine strikeouts, Luzardo now carries a 1.80 ERA on the road, fourth best in MLB.
It also raises an interesting October question.
If the Phillies make the postseason, could they line up their rotation so Luzardo takes the ball away from home?
With the way he has pitched on the road, and with the kind of flexibility the Phillies hope to have, it at least becomes part of the conversation.
BRYCE KEEPS ON KEEPIN’ ON
It was a big day for the Phillies’ right fielder.
Harper homered, extending his on-base streak to 29 games. He doubled, too.
He also took extra bases away from Rodríguez in the first inning, making a leaping catch in front of the right-field wall.
Mattingly noted before the game that Harper is still dealing with some soreness, something the Phillies are managing as he continues playing every day.
“We still watch it physically in general because he’s nicked up,” Mattingly said pregame. “He’s playing every day, but his jumps, to me, we’ve seen a couple plays even in this series where the jumps are good.”
Harper has looked increasingly comfortable since moving back to right field after the Luis Arraez trade. The Phillies have seen him go into the gap, toward the line and make throws from the outfield.
Mattingly does not sound like a manager holding his breath out there.
“I’m comfortable, and he looks comfortable out there,” Mattingly said pregame. “He’s had enough reps over time. It’s just getting him back to being comfortable.”
The soreness, though, is something Harper is expected to deal with.
“Any kind of tendonitis-type scenario, some days you feel good,” Mattingly said. “Every once in a while, you take a misstep, you feel a little swelling, soreness.”
That makes what Harper is doing even more important, and impressive.
He is still producing. He is still getting on base. He is still making plays in right field after spending years away from the outfield.
And he is still helping validate the move that put him back there in the first place.
Harper and the Phillies will stay out west to face the Angels for three games beginning Friday, then head to Arizona to finish a 10-day road trip.
