Lucas Giolito gives up four runs, takes loss

The game took just 1:51 with Luzardo and Grant Holmes putting up zeroes. Kyle Schwarber homered in the eighth for the only run of the game. Luzardo allowed only singles to Matt Olson in the fourth and Michael Harris II in the eighth while throwing 109 pitches in his first ever complete game; he’s topped out at eight innings three times previously. The Phillies needed it, too, since closer Jhoan Duran had pitched back-to-back days. Luzardo moved to 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA. He’s going to face the Braves again in Atlanta this weekend.

Holmes struck out six. It’s his fifth scoreless start since the beginning of August, though one of those ended after three innings because of a rain delay. His peripherals still aren’t great, but he has a 2.61 ERA in his last 14 outings since late June. He’ll likely face the Phillies again at home on Sunday.

Schwarber took Didier Fuentes deep in the eighth to break a scoreless tie. It was his 43rd homer of the year, putting him three ahead of Pete Crow-Armstrong for the major league lead. He also struck out for the 200th time today, reaching that mark for the third time in his career. He’s three ahead of Colson Montgomery in topping the majors in that category. Alas, it doesn’t look like a Three-True Outcomes triple crown is a possibility, as he’s only fifth with 90 walks and 11 behind teammate Bryce Harper.

But he did catch a shutout, at least. Realmuto is batting .217/.293/.348. That batting average is 35 points lower than his career-worst mark of .252 from 2023.

McClavy goes on to say that, “The club hopes that, by shortening his starts or even mixing in relief outings, it could help Harrison reset in time to play a meaningful role in the postseason.” Since coming back off the injured list after a battle with forearm tightness, Harrison has allowed 24 runs (17 earned) on 38 hits in 27 IP with a 33/13 K/BB ratio. Obviously, it’s hard to trust him in redraft leagues with the plan for his usage being so vague.

Cruz struggled in his first few appearances with the Nationals after coming from the Yankees at the trade deadline, but he has pitched to a 2.57 ERA and a 7/5 K/BB in seven appearances at Triple-A Rochester. The command will be a big key in him becoming a more effective reliever.

Ribalta has been one of the few reliable relievers for the Nationals this year, posting a 3.77 ERA and two saves across 43 innings. No word yet on the severity of the injury or how long the Nationals expect him to be sidelined.

Happ was scratched from Sunday’s lineup with “left knee discomfort” and will also miss Monday’s game. There has been no word from the Cubs on whether an IL stint might be in the cards. Tyrone Taylor will start in left field again on Monday.

According to Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, the current plan is for Houck to throw about 20 pitches with Double-A Portland on Tuesday, then 40-45 with Portland on Friday. Then he’ll join Triple-A Worcester for a game next week and could be an option to return to Boston after that. Obviously, he could also be built up to around 50 pitches at that point, which means Houck could even fill a starter/opener role with Patrick Sandoval or Brayan Bello following behind him. It remains to be seen what role Houck will have, but getting him back will be a nice boost for the Red Sox pitching staff.

DeLauter has now missed three straight games with a sprained right wrist. However, the Orioles are also throwing a left-handed pitcher on Monday, so there is a chance that they viewed this as an easy way to give DeLauter another day of rest. Guardians’ manager Stephen Vogt said that DeLauter is “feeling a lot better” and will hit some batting practice today and is take flyballs in right field. It sounds like he could be back in the middle of this week, but Angel Martinez will play right field and bat cleanup.