Phillies’ Luzardo tops players for Wednesday, July 9, rising to 9th in player rankings

Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to ninth place in season player rankings.

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▪️ Players of the Game
▪️ B-T points of day’s top players
▪️ Top 10 players in 2025
▪️ Upcoming pitching matchups
▪️ Wednesday’s Sidelights Sidebar
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Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo is Wednesday’s Box-Toppers Player of the Day, rising to ninth place in season player rankings.

Other Player of the Game winners Wednesday include Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito, Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the Yankees and Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Braves.

Player of the Day

Top 10 players

Here are the top 10 players in 2025 Box-Toppers points (BTP) earned in the regular season through Wednesday, July 9.
  Player Pos Team BTP
1 Zack Wheeler pi sp Phillies 18.1
2 Tarik Skubal pi sp Tigers 14.4
3 Nick Pivetta pi sp Padres 13.0
4 Hunter Brown pi sp Astros 12.4
5 Bryan Woo pi sp Mariners 12.0
6 Paul Skenes pi sp Pirates 11.4
7 Garrett Crochet pi sp Red Sox 11.1
8 Yoshinobu Yamamoto pi sp Dodgers 11.0
9 Jesús Luzardo pi sp Phillies 10.7
10 Sonny Gray pi sp Cardinals 10.0
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Luzardo struck out seven over seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk, in the 13-0 win over the Giants.

Luzardo earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day, giving him 10.7 for the season, rising to ninth among all players and fifth among National League pitchers.

Luzardo becomes the 10th player this season to reach 10 Box-Toppers points. It is his second season with 10 or more points. He also did it in 2023 with the Marlins when he had 17.4 Box-Toppers points, fifth among all players and second among NL pitchers.

Luzardo earned just 2.0 Box-Toppers points in 2024 with the Marlins, making only 12 starts. He first went on the injured list in 2024 with left elbow tightness and then was out for the season in late June due to a back injury. He has already made 19 starts with the Phillies in 2025.

American League Player of the Day

Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito struck out six over six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and no walks, in the 10-2 win over the Rockies.

Giolito earns 1.7 Box-Toppers points for being AL Player of the Day, giving him 6.7 for the season, 20th among AL pitchers.

American League Player of the Day is Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito.

American League Batter of the Day

Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the Yankees hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in four runs, in the 9-6 win over the Mariners.

American League Batter of the Day is Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the Yankees.

National League Batter of the Day

Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Braves hit two home runs and went 2-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two runs, in the 9-2 win over the Athletics.

This is Acuña’s first Box-Toppers Player of the Game honor in nearly two years. He last earned Player of the Game honors Aug. 31, 2023. He finished 2023 with 10.7 Box-Toppers points, second among NL batters.

Acuña tore the ACL in his left knee on May 26, 2024, and was out for the remainder of the season. While he played 49 games in 2024, he earned no Box-Toppers points. He earned his first points of the 2025 season Wednesday in his 41st game, after making his return from injury on May 23.

National League Batter of the Day is Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Braves.

2025 Box-Toppers points—NL pitchers 1—Zack Wheeler #Phillies 18.1 2—Nick Pivetta #Padres 13.0 3—Paul Skenes #Pirates 11.4 4—Yoshinobu Yamamoto #Dodgers 11.0 5—Jesús Luzardo #Phillies 10.7* 6—Sonny Gray #STLCards 10.0 *Earns 2.0 B-T pts as WE’s Player of the Day www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/7/...

— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 10, 2025 at 7:17 AM

Scoring

  • Luzardo earns 2.0 Box-Toppers points for being Player of the Day.

  • Giolito earns 1.7 points for being AL Player of the Day.

  • Chisholm and Acuña each earn 1.5 points for being their league’s Batter of the Day.

  • All of Wednesday’s other Player of the Game winners (listed in the chart) earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point.

About Box-Toppers

Box-Toppers tracks who most helps their team win the most games. Using standard box score statistics, Box-Toppers uses a simple formula to determine a Player of the Game for each Major League Baseball game played. That player is the person who contributed most to his team’s win. In regular season games, players earn 1.0 Box-Toppers point for being named Player of the Game and can earn bonus points for being Player of the Day or top player or batter in their league for the day.

Box-Toppers strives for accuracy. See a mistake in a post? A wrong name, wrong team, grammar error, spelling goof, etc.? Thanks for pointing it out! Contact Box-Toppers here. Let's fix it and make it right.

For additional updates, follow Box-Toppers on Bluesky or Twitter (X).

Wednesday’s Sidelights Sidebar

Reviewing the day’s top pitchers, overlooked top performers & lowest Box-Toppers game scores.

Top pitching matchup

A Box-Toppers look at Wednesday’s pitching matchups Notable—ARI at SD Brandon Pfaadt #Dbacks 16.1 B-T points over 2024-25, 17th* Dylan Cease #Padres 25.8 B-T points over 2024-25, 3rd* *Rank among NL pitchers, 2024-25 All Wednesday pitching matchups: www.box-toppers.com/blog/2025/7/...

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— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 9, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Result—ARI 8, SD 2
Brandon Pfaadt, Diamondbacks, was Player of the Game (8IP 4H 2R 0BB 4K W) with +4.0 B-T game score.
Dylan Cease, Padres, had -6.0 B-T game score in loss (6IP 5H 6R 3BB 8K L).
Pfaadt earns 1.0 B-T point, giving him 17.1 for 2024-25, rising to 15th place among NL pitchers over that span.

High scores, no points

Highest Box-Toppers game scores for the day among players who did not earn Player of the Game honors:
▪️+7.0—Brandon Walter, Astros (6IP 2H R 0BB 7K L)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. CLE.
Player of the Game—Slade Cecconi, Guardians (7IP 5H 2R 2BB 9K W) with +5.0 game score.
▪️+4.0—Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers (5IP 2H R 0ER 3BB 5K ND)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. MIL
Player of the Game—Trevor Megill, Brewers (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K W) with +4.0 game score.
▪️+3.0—Marcus Semien, Rangers (HR 1-3 R 4BI)
Was not Player of the Game in loss vs. LAA.
Player of the Game—Mike Trout, Angels (2HR 2-5 2R 3BI) with +2.0 game score.

Lowest Box-Toppers game scores

Out of 399 total players Wednesday, 111 pitchers
-17.9—Tristan Beck, Giants (0.1IP 5H 6R BB 0K ND vs. PHI)
-17.0—Mitch Spence, Athletics
-16.8—Logan Evans, Mariners
-16.0—Andre Pallante, Cardinals
-15.0—Seth Halvorson, Rockies

Lowest Box-Toppers game scores by batters

Out of 288 total batters Wednesday
-5.0—Tommy Edman, Dodgers 0-5 K
-5.0—William Contreras, Brewers 0-5
-4.0—Cooper Hummel, Astros 0-4 4K
-4.0—Riley Greene, Tigers 0-4 2K
-4.0—Ian Happ, Cubs 0-4 2K
-4.0—Nick Kurtz, Athletics 0-4 2K
-4.0—Manny Machado, Padres 0-4 2K
-4.0—Pedro Pagés, Cardinals 0-4 2K
-4.0—Cal Raleigh, Mariners 0-4 2K
-4.0—Victor Scott II, Cardinals 0-4 2K
-4.0—Luke Raley, Mariners 0-4 2K
Box-Toppers uses Baseball-Reference.com, MLB.com and other sources to compile this information.

Dallas Keuchel, 37, signs minor league deal with #Royals. He earned 21.4 Box-Toppers points in 2015 with #Astros, 4th overall & 1st among AL pitchers, his best season. He earned 1.0 pt in 2023 with #Twins & in 2024 pitched in Japan & for #Brewers & #Mariners organizations.

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— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 10, 2025 at 7:50 AM

DJ LeMahieu, 36, designated for assignment by #Yankees. His 37.7 career Box-Toppers points was 15th among active AL batters, but he had only 1.7 pts since 2020. B-T pts by season With #Rockies 12—2.0 13—1.0 14—3.0 15—7.0 16—8.0 17—4.5 18—3.5 W/NYY 19—3.5 20—3.5 21—0.0 22—0.0 23—0.0 24—1.7 25—0.0

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— Box-Toppers Baseball (@boxtoppers.bsky.social) Jul 10, 2025 at 8:03 AM

Box‑Toppers Player of the Game winners

Here is the top player from each of the day’s games listed from highest to lowest Box‑Toppers game score (BTG).
7/9 BTG Game Player of the Game AB R H BI   IP H R ER BB K
MLB +10.0 PHI 13, SF 0 Jesús Luzardo (W, 8‑5)   7.0 3 0 0 1 7
AL +8.0 BOS 10, COL 2 Lucas Giolito (W, 6‑1)   6.0 4 0 0 0 6
  +5.0 CLE 4, HOU 2 Slade Cecconi (W, 4‑4)   7.0 5 2 2 2 9
  +5.0 WSH 8, STL 2 MacKenzie Gore (W, 4‑8)   6.0 5 1 1 1 7
BAT +4.0 NYY 9, SEA 6 Jazz Chisholm Jr 2B 4 2 2 4  
  +4.0 ARI 8, SD 2 Brandon Pfaadt (W, 9‑6)   8.0 4 2 2 0 4
  +4.0 MIL 3, LAD 2 (F/10) Trevor Megill (W, 2‑2)   1.0 0 0 0 0 3
  +3.0 KC 4, PIT 3 Salvador Perez 1B 4 2 3 2  
  +2.2 CIN 7, MIA 2 Andrew Abbott (W, 8‑1)   7.2 6 1 1 2 5
  +2.0 LAA 11, TEX 8 Mike Trout DH 5 2 2 3  
BAT +2.0 ATL 9, ATH 2 Ronald Acuña Jr. RF 4 2 2 2  
  +2.0 CHW 2, TOR 1 Jordan Leasure (S, 2)   1.0 1 0 0 0 2
  +1.0 MIN 4, CHC 2 Matt Wallner RF 3 1 2 1  
  0.0 TB 7, DET 3 Junior Caminero 3B 5 2 2 1  
MLB—Overall Box‑Toppers Player of the Day, worth 2.0 total Box‑Toppers points.
AL—Overall American League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box‑Toppers points.
NL—Overall National League Player of the Day, worth 1.7 total Box‑Toppers points.
BAT—Top AL or NL Batter of the Day, worth 1.5 total Box‑Toppers points.
All other players listed here earn Player of the Game honors, worth 1.0 Box‑Toppers point.
` Pitcher had a no‑decision in the game and did not pick up a win or a save.
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Box-Toppers point totals of the day’s Player of the Game winners

Here are Box-Toppers point totals of each of the Player of the Game winners. Players are ranked by their Box-Toppers point total in 2025 (’25). Also shown is their point total for this season and last (’24-’25), the period 2020-2025 (’20-25) and each players’ career point total. Also shown is how their 2025 Box-Toppers point total compares with their 2024 total (+/-).
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Player of the Game Pos Team ’25 ’24‑25 ’20‑25 Career +/‑
Luzardo, Jesus 4282 pi sp phi nl 10.7 12.7 46.6 46.6 +8.7
Abbott, Andrew 4839 pi sp cin nl 7.7 12.7 23.7 23.7 +2.7
Gore, MacKenzie 4582 pi sp dc nl 6.7 14.7 26.4 26.4 -1.3
Giolito, Lucas 3900 pi sp bos al 6.7 6.7 34.1 54.8 +6.7
Perez, Salvador 2972 ca 1b kc al 5.5 9.0 22.0 54.2 +2.0
Caminero, Junior 5089 3b dh tb al 5.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 +4.5
Pfaadt, Brandon 4812 pi sp ari nl 4.7 17.1 20.8 20.8 -7.7
Chisholm, Jazz Jr. 4364 cf 2b nyy al 3.2 5.7 15.7 15.7 +0.7
Megill, Trevor 4531 pi cp mil nl 3.0 9.0 10.0 10.0 -3.0
Cecconi, Slade 4913 pi sp cle al 3.0 5.0 6.0 6.0 +1.0
Trout, Mike 2949 dh cf ana al 2.0 2.0 15.5 86.2 +2.0
Leasure, Jordan 5175 pi mr cp chi al 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 +2.0
Acuna, Ronald Jr. 3947 rf atl nl 1.5 1.5 18.2 31.1 +1.5
Wallner, Matt 4824 rf min al 1.0 1.0 4.5 4.5 +1.0
What are those numbers after players' names?
About Box-Toppers’ team abbreviations
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A Box-Toppers look at Thursday’s pitching matchups

A Box-Toppers look at the upcoming day’s probable pitching matchups. Teams are paired below with visiting teams on top and home teams on the bottom. Each team’s starting pitcher is shown with their Box-Toppers point total from 2025 (’25), this year and last year (’24-25), over a six-year period (’20-25) and their career point total.
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Game Starter ’25 ’24‑25 ’20‑25 Career
NYM Peterson, David 4347 3.0 7.7 20.7 20.7
BAL Morton, Charlie 2503 5.0 14.4 49.5 118.5
CHC Rea, Colin 3582 1.0 11.4 16.4 20.1
MIN Paddack, Chris 4093 2.0 7.7 17.7 33.5
NYM Undecided 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
BAL Sugano, Tomoyuki 5163 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.7
MIA Quantrill, Cal 4195 3.0 8.0 23.7 25.7
CIN Lodolo, Nick 4586 3.7 12.7 19.7 19.7
SEA Woo, Bryan 4842 12.0 23.7 32.4 32.4
NYY Stroman, Marcus 3327 0.0 3.0 26.4 65.2
TB Bradley, Taj 4780 5.0 17.1 22.1 22.1
BOS Buehler, Walker 3943 4.0 5.7 32.1 63.6
CLE Allen, Logan T. 4789 4.0 7.0 14.7 14.7
CHW Cannon, Jonathan 5036 1.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
WSH Soroka, Michael 3956 2.0 2.0 2.0 16.4
STL Mikolas, Miles 3034 5.0 9.0 27.8 45.2
ATL Strider, Spencer 4626 3.0 4.0 38.5 38.5
ATH Sears, JP 4627 4.0 11.7 20.7 20.7
TEX Corbin, Patrick 3027 2.0 7.0 24.8 99.4
LAA Kochanowicz, Jack 5094 2.0 4.0 4.0 4.0
ARI Rodriguez, Eduardo 3480 1.7 2.7 25.7 69.9
SD Vasquez, Randy 4841 1.0 3.0 4.0 4.0
Starters subject to change.
* Player has yet to earn any career Box-Toppers points.
What are those numbers after players' names?
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