The Philadelphia Phillies are sitting comfortably atop the National League East as they take a breather during the All-Star break, and much of their success so far can be credited to their stellar starting rotation—one of the best in all of Major League Baseball.
That pitching dominance will remain critical in the second half, and one arm to keep an eye on is Jesús Luzardo, who had an inconsistent first half of the season.
Luzardo was the Phillies’ marquee offseason addition, acquired from the Miami Marlins in December. Early in the year, he showed flashes of brilliance and looked like a potential Cy Young contender, contributing to a rotation that currently boasts the MLB’s lowest ERA at 3.22. But his performance has also been erratic at times.
So far this season, Luzardo holds an 8-5 record with a 4.14 ERA and 122 strikeouts over 104 innings. That’s a far cry from how he started—he carried a sparkling 1.73 ERA into May and still had a 2.15 ERA as late as May 25, ranking among the top pitchers in the league.
However, a brutal start on May 31 against the Milwaukee Brewers, in which he gave up 12 runs in just 3 1/3 innings, drastically altered the narrative. That outing pushed his ERA to 3.58, and he followed it with another rough appearance, surrendering eight runs in 2 1/3 innings to the Toronto Blue Jays, which bumped his ERA to 4.46.
Since then, Luzardo has had mixed results but ended the first half strong by throwing seven scoreless innings in a dominant 13-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
According to Anthony SanFilippo of On Pattison, some observers believe Luzardo may have been unintentionally tipping his pitches, which could explain the back-to-back blowups. Since those outings, he’s rebounded with a 3.42 ERA over his last 31 2/3 innings—better than his career ERA of 4.26.
For the Phillies to make a serious playoff push, they’ll need Luzardo to regain the form he showed early in the season. If he can, he’ll significantly boost an already strong rotation and give the team a real shot at a deep October run.
