The Philadelphia Phillies enter Tuesday night’s matchup against the Miami Marlins looking to string together back-to-back wins for the first time in over a week. Last night, Philly rolled to a 7-0 victory behind pitching brilliance from Zack Wheeler while the offense rolled behind home runs from Gabriel Rincones Jr. and J.T. Realmuto. Tonight, Jesus Luzardo takes the mound looking for his fourth victory of the season behind a unique lineup for interim skipper Don Mattingly.
Brandon Marsh might surprise some fans as a leadoff hitter for the Phillies tonight after Trea Turner departed last night after being hit by a pitch. “Trea is pretty good today,” the Phillies bench boss said about his infielder pregame. “Expect him to be ready to go tomorrow. Little sore and stiff, but he felt better than when he woke up.” The day-to-day injury could work as a small mental reset for Turner, who is batting .175 over his last 10 games.
Kyle Schwarber will bat second and play first base for the Phillies tonight, giving Bryce Harper a day to rest in the dugout outside of his designated hitter at-bats. It is Schwaber's first start at the position since 2022; however, it is not his first look at the position this season. The Phillies slugger was used as a defensive replacement earlier in the season in a blowout loss against the Athletics on May 7th. Schwarber was not required to make any defensive plays in a one-inning appearance.
“These guys are baseball players,” an unbothered Mattingly said about the sudden position switch. “They’ve been the best athletes on their team since the time they were eight years old, probably. So, him going out there… he’s probably going to have fun out there.”
The rest of the Phillies lineup should seem familiar: Marsh, Schwarber, Harper, Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, J.T. Realmuto, Rincones Jr., Justin Crawford, and Edmundo Sosa.
One more injury update from the squad ahead of tonight's contest against Miami. Brad Keller was placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to June 14) with forearm tendinitis. Max Lazar was recalled from Lehigh Valley (AAA) as his replacement.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 under bright blue and sunny skies at Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia. Follow @CBabosWrites on social media for real-time updates on tonight's N.L. East matchup.
