May 3, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott (5) hits a home run against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images RHONA WISE
MIAMI — Bryson Stott and the Phillies hung six runs on Marlins starter Chris Paddack in the top of the first inning Sunday afternoon, allowing Jesús Luzardo and the pitching staff to cruise en route to a 7-2 victory.
Alec Bohm got the scoring started in the top of the first inning. Trea Turner led the game off with a double, before Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper drew consecutive walks. Bohm — back in the cleanup hole with Adolis García getting the day off — reached first on a slow RBI grounder that the Marlins weren't able to record an out on. Brandon Marsh followed with a walk that forced a run in, and J.T. Realmuto hit a sac fly.
The inning's big blow came from the Marlins killer Stott, who launched a three-run home run. He began the series with zero homers on the season, but now has two bombs in the last three days:
Bryson Stott loves him some Fish! 🐟
(Via @ToddZolecki) pic.twitter.com/U1v2zumVwf
Stott entered the day hitting .295 with four home runs, 24 RBIs and an .845 OPS at loanDepot Park. Is there something the 28-year-old likes about hitting in Miami?
"I have no idea," Stott said with a smile. "[Jose] Alvarado told me it's the empanadas that they serve here, so I'll go with that."
José Alvarado has a theory for why Bryson Stott seems to hit so well in Miami.
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/hYB51yj4bm
— OnPattison (@OnPattison) May 3, 2026
Perhaps in a sign of committing to the bit, Stott walked out of the clubhouse with another empanada in his hand after his postgame interview.
Luzardo — who pitched for Miami from 2021-2024 — joked to Stott earlier this week that he was a Marlins killer. Sunday, he and Stott combined to lead the Phillies to victory over the Marlins. While he gave up a two-run homer to Esteury Ruiz in the home half of the seventh, Luzardo was largely excellent for the second start in a row. Eight hits is a lot, but Luzardo scattered those over 6 1/3 innings, walking zero and striking out 10 batters. It's the second consecutive impressive start for Luzardo, who has lowered his ERA from 6.91 to 5.09 over his last pair of outings.
Have there been any tweaks he made to get back on track?
"Yeah, a couple mechanical things, things we — me, Mark [Lowry] and Caleb [Cotham] — worked on, and also just some mental cues, kinda just getting back into the rhythm we talked about of getting back to what it felt like last year. I felt like, maybe, I don't wanna say started off slowly, but started off a little out of whack mechanically. Just kind of starting to feel like I'm getting in my groove finding how I felt last year at the end of the year."
Are the cues as simple as a word Luzardo says to himself when he's in a jam and trying to keep his cool?
"Yeah, it can depend on what pitch is missing, where it's missing, but it's just a little mental reminder of what gets me back on track, what gets me right and how to fix it quickly."
Jesús Luzardo says he’s made some mechanical and mental adjustments over his last two starts. 🦎
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/w1IZFl9sjL
As for Alvarado's theory about Stott's success in Miami, Luzardo had one major takeaway — he's happy to be his teammate when the Phillies are playing the Marlins at loanDepot Park.
"Maybe, who knows. He likes Miami maybe, who knows," Luzardo said with a chuckle. "I remember when I was over there, he used to kill us a lot, so maybe Miami just gets him right."
