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MLB picks, baseball best bets for Friday: Phillies' Jesús Luzardo stymies Angels, Byron Buxton stays hot
The MLB regular season has taken four days off and though we saw an incredible All-Star celebration, it's time to get back to work. Most teams have played nearly 100 games, so calling it the "second half" seems a bit inaccurate, but that's just how we do things. It's time for the "second half."
Luzardo, a southpaw, has struck out 122 batters in 104 ⅓ innings so far this season with the Phillies. He has gotten to seven strikeouts nine times, including three of his last four outings. The Phillies host the Angels on Friday, and that means Luzardo gets to face the team with the highest strikeout rate in baseball against left-handers at 28.2%. The Angels haven't seen him this season, either, so I love relative unfamiliarity.
Phillies announce lineup for Friday game vs. LA Angels. Where is Kyle Schwarber hitting?
PHILADELPHIA − The Phillies, coming off the All-Star break with Kyle Schwarber as the hero, are opening a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on July 18.
Schwarber won the All-Star game for the National League by hitting three home runs on three swings in a "swing off" to break a 6-6 tie over the American League.
It was the first ever "swing off" to decide an All-Star game, and Schwarber was named the game's MVP because of it.
For the Phillies, this is when the games get real again. They're 55-41, one-half game ahead of the Mets for first place in the National League East. They'll open the second half of the season with LHP Jesus Luzardo (8-5, 4.14 ERA) on the mound.
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Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Angels MLB FREE LIVE STREAM (7/18/25): Watch MLB game online | Time, TV
The Philadelphia Phillies face the Los Angeles Angels in an MLB game on Friday, July 18, 2025 (7/18/25) at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Aaron Judge became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 350 career homers on Saturday and it feels inevitable that the Bronx slugger will join the hallowed 500-homer club sometime in the next several years.
The 28-player group could swell significantly in the coming decade, with Yankees teammate Giancarlo Stanton (432), Mike Trout (395), Paul Goldschmidt (370), Manny Machado (359), Freddie Freeman (353), Nolan Arenado (351) and Bryce Harper (346) all within striking distance.
Lurking a little further down the active leaderboard, Kyle Schwarber (314), Eugenio Suarez (307), Mookie Betts (282), Francisco Lindor (267), Shohei Ohtani (257) and Pete Alonso (247) are piling up big numbers and still in their early 30s.
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