Jesús Luzardo, 7 starts into his Phillies career, keeps impressing

Sports

add

PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Schwarber had notions about Jesús Luzardo before the Philadelphia Phillies acquired him. Many Phillies players and coaches did, and they were curious how the 27-year-old lefty would embrace an atmosphere bursting with expectations. They had seen the tantalizing fastball and biting changeup. But it is easier when few are watching.

Like other Phillies starters, Luzardo bides his time between innings in a hallway underneath the dugout at Citizens Bank Park. Schwarber, as the designated hitter, is often shuffling back and forth from the dugout to the batting cage. Sometimes he will cross paths with the starter. It happened during Friday night’s 3-2 Phillies win over the Arizona Diamondbacks as Luzardo labored through 5 1/3 innings.

“He’s, like, staring a hole right through me,” Schwarber said. “I’m like, ‘Nice. I like that.’”

The Phillies ran back much of their roster, a point of contention during an uneven beginning, but their most valuable player through 32 games is someone who was not with them in 2024. Luzardo has a 1.94 ERA in his first seven starts. That mark ranks sixth in baseball.

A good night at the old ballpark#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/xOTGMb2dDq

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 3, 2025

It has, at times, been exceptional. Luzardo’s fastball has sat at 97 mph. He has added a sweeping slider that has become his best out pitch against lefties. He can generate a swinging strike in the zone when he needs it or force a hitter to chase.

But something about Friday’s outing, which was not his best, validated the bet the Phillies have made on Luzardo. The first two batters singled, and then Luzardo struck out the side. He needed 27 pitches in the second inning but escaped without damage. He threw another 25 pitches in the third inning and stranded two more runners. He had exhausted considerable energy in those three innings while pitching six days after a season-high 102 pitches.

He kept going.

“That’s key for me, just maturing throughout my career,” Luzardo said. “I feel like a couple of years back, I go out there, I probably would’ve just gone three or four max. And given up a lot more runs. Throughout this season in general, even when I’m not my best, I feel we’re able to kind of weather the storm.”

This is the advanced-level pitching course the Phillies hoped Luzardo would follow. They expected a bump by introducing different sequences to help him navigate opposing lineups. He’s never had a catcher like J.T. Realmuto guiding him. After the trade last December, Luzardo said he wanted to explore new paths to attack hitters. The Phillies were encouraged by the initial feedback Luzardo offered. He was open-minded.

He was healthy.

“Every time he’s on the mound, I feel relieved,” Phillies left fielder Max Kepler said. “He goes out and does his thing. It seems like he has a plan, and he executes it every time. So, I’m glad he’s on our team.”

That’s not a feeling every 27-year-old pitcher coming off an injury-riddled season can exude. But that is the sense the Phillies have when Luzardo has pitched in 2025.

“There’s just not many things that faze the kid,” Schwarber said. “He’s just out there, and when he’s on the mound, it’s just him and the catcher and the hitter. There’s nobody else in his world, it looks like.”

“He’s really something,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.

Luzardo did not have good command of his fastball. He threw more sweeping sliders (34) in Friday’s outing than in any start this season. Arizona had two hits against the pitch, but Luzardo used it to record two strikeouts and another out. He threw it equal amounts to lefties and righties, the sign of trust in a pitch.

Batters entered Friday hitting .138 with a .241 slugging percentage against the sweeping slider. It is a legitimate weapon Realmuto has leaned upon while crafting game plans for Luzardo.

So far, Luzardo has honored it. Realmuto’s guidance is a major factor in taking Luzardo from someone who succeeded by overpowering people to a pitcher who is playing the game while wielding that plus stuff.

“He’s a veteran,” Luzardo said of Realmuto. “He’s been around for a long time. He’s seen a lot of these guys and faced them a lot. At this point, he knows my tendencies. He knows what I like to do and what’s working, what’s not working. That’s another key part about being a catcher, just kind of controlling the game. Being the quarterback back there. So I tip my cap to him. I wouldn’t be here without him.”

After those 68 pitches in three innings, Luzardo allowed a run in the fourth but rolled a double-play ball. He used only nine pitches in the fifth. He ran out of gas in the sixth when Gabriel Moreno doubled to deep center on a ball Cal Stevenson might have caught with a better route. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. singled on an 0-2 fastball that was not located well. Luzardo would regret that pitch.

He could still feel good about pitching into the sixth.

“Just trying to grind it out any way possible,” Luzardo said.

Tests are ahead. Hitters will adjust. Luzardo has to stay durable, something he’s done only for one season in the majors. But this feels different to Luzardo. He is part of a deep rotation with huge goals. He pitches at a place where 40,133 people pack into the ballpark for a Friday night in May.

It has activated something.

“The demeanor,” Schwarber said. “We could see it when we were facing him from the other side. But when he’s on your team, you see the way he goes about his business and the way he competes. It’s such a great thing that you have a guy like J.T. back there catching him. I feel like you’re seeing a really good version of him.”

Schwarber was 3-for-12 with seven strikeouts against Luzardo over the years, and he’s joked that no one was happier about the trade than him. That list is growing with every start. And even after the outings that are just decent, the Phillies can see it.

“He’s a bulldog,” Schwarber said.

(Photo: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

Would the Raiders trade Ashton Jeanty to the Cowboys? For a minute the RB was led to believe it was going to happen

Ashton Jeanty - English

Next

trending_flat

Battlehawks shut down Renegades for low-scoring win

Sports