PHILADELPHIA -- Just a few weeks ago, it seemed like a legitimate question to wonder if the Phillies could even play their way back into the postseason picture.
Now, the question might be would any team want to face this rotation in a possible playoff series?
Though Jesús Luzardo is still seeking the consistency he had in his breakout 2025 season, he was mostly solid in the Phillies' 4-1 loss against the Reds on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. The lefty tossed six innings of two-run ball -- and both runs could have been prevented. (Cincinnati’s two-run fourth started with an Elly De La Cruz triple that glanced off Justin Crawford’s glove after a long run, followed by a Spencer Steer infield single on which nobody covered first on a high chopper over the mound.)
Even with that tough-luck inning, it's been quite the run of late for the top of the Phillies' rotation.
Over the past two turns through the rotation, Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler and Luzardo have combined to allow just three runs over 42 1/3 innings. That's good for a 0.64 ERA.
They've racked up 41 strikeouts to just four walks during that span.
It's no secret that the Phillies were always going to lean heavily on their starting rotation to get where they wanted to go this season.
It's why this spring they signed Luzardo to a five-year, $135 million extension, then -- just two weeks later -- gave Sánchez a new six-year contract that guarantees him $107 million. Toss in the existing contracts for Wheeler (three years, $126 million) and Aaron Nola (seven years, $172 million), and the Phils have $540 million committed to that quartet alone.
Needless to say, they would welcome the recent production from that trio over the course of a postseason series, but they also need to score to win those potential October ballgames.
Without Kyle Schwarber for a second straight night, the Phillies’ lone run came on Trea Turner’s solo homer -- his first since April 30 -- in the third inning. Outside of that, they struggled to get much going against Reds starter Chase Burns, who racked up nine strikeouts over six innings of one-run ball.
Overall, the Phils tallied just three hits while striking out 14 times.
This is the 11th time this season the Phillies have scored no more than one run. Only the Giants (14 times), Red Sox (13) and Mets (12) have more such games.