May 3, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA – Philadelphia Phillies starter Jesus Luzardo (44) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at loanDepot Park. (Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images)
Seeking to build on their recent momentum under a new leadership structure, the Philadelphia Phillies will host the Colorado Rockies on Friday to start a six-game homestand. Despite a 12-1 defeat to the Athletics on Thursday, the Phillies have compiled an 8-2 record since replacing manager Rob Thomson with interim skipper Don Mattingly. Philadelphia aims to capitalize on a favorable schedule, facing teams with losing records in four of their next five series.
Left-hander Jesus Luzardo (3-3, 5.09 ERA) will take the mound Friday, hoping to sustain his recent improvement. After a sluggish start to the season, Luzardo has surrendered only three runs combined over his last three outings. In his most recent start on Sunday, he earned his second straight win by tossing 6 1/3 innings of two-run ball and striking out 10 in a 7-2 road victory over the Miami Marlins.
“Luzardo has been really good,” Mattingly said. “He hasn’t walked anyone in a couple of games. He’s been attacking the strike zone. I didn’t see him as being bad early in the year. I just felt like some innings got away from him. That was kind of the way everything was going for us early.”
Luzardo holds a 2-1 record with a 4.50 ERA in six career appearances (four starts) against the Rockies. On April 4, he allowed one run over 6 2/3 frames and struck out a season-high 11 batters in a 2-1 win in Denver.
The Rockies aim to carry momentum from a dramatic victory following a rough start to May. Colorado snapped a six-game losing streak by scoring the last six runs in a 6-2 win over the New York Mets on Thursday. Outfielder Jake McCarthy enters the road trip as one of the team’s hottest hitters, belting two home runs and driving in seven runs over the past two games, including a tiebreaking grand slam in the eighth inning on Thursday.
“He’s been swinging the bat really well as of late,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said of McCarthy. “That was a huge homer to lift the boys after losing six in a row. You can’t put words together to show how big that was. Good for Jake. Happy for him.”
Colorado will counter with right-hander Chase Dollander (3-2, 3.38 ERA) in the series opener, his second start of the season after primarily appearing behind openers. The 24-year-old lasted 5 1/3 innings on Saturday, allowing six runs on eight hits in a 9-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
“I thought he was just a little behind all day,” Schaeffer said of Dollander. “I thought it was unusual, he had some walks (a season-high three). The breaking ball and off-speed stuff didn’t generate enough strikes.”
Dollander faced Philadelphia for the first time in his young career on April 4, taking the loss after surrendering one run in 4 1/3 innings in the 2-1 defeat to Luzardo and company.
