After watching the tape, it’s clear as day Jesus Luzardo was tipping pitches over his last two meltdown starts

We witnessed a miracle in South Philly on Wednesday. A resurrection, if you will.

Jesús Luzardo — who had been lit up like a slot machine in his last two outings — rose from the dead and absolutely carved up the Cubs with six innings of one-run ball and 10 strikeouts. It was vintage Luzardo again, the guy who struck out 20 in back-to-back starts in May and looked like a budding ace.

This wasn’t just about “finding his stuff.” Luzardo made an actual mechanical adjustment judging on how things went today in South Philly it might’ve saved his season.

Jesus Luzardo’s Brutal Starts…

Over his past two starts, hitters weren’t just beating Luzardo. They were murdering him. Twenty-one earned runs in 5.2 innings doesn’t happen by accident. Turns out, it’s pretty evident that Luzardo was tipping his pitches, especially with runners on second base.

Pre-Meltdown Jesus Luzardo:

• Opposing hitters were batting .143 with a .228 xwOBA
• Luzardo had a 34% whiff rate with a runner on second

Meltdown Jesus Luzardo:

• Opponents hit .900 (!!) with a .734 xwOBA
• His whiff rate cratered to 12.5%

It doesn’t take a pitching coach to connect the dots. In one video clip that made the rounds, a baserunner on second was clearly looking into Luzardo’s glove — which was low, open, and practically inviting the hitter’s buddy at second to relay what was coming.

Tip City in Toronto for Jesus Luzardo:

That’s not cheating. That’s just the game in 2025 and unfortunately, The Lizard King was absolutely burned on the cross for it.

New Look, New Results

Fast forward to today — Luzardo changed his glove placement, kept everything tighter, and the results were immediate.

The Cubs had no shot. He struck out 10, didn’t walk a soul, and dominated all afternoon. This wasn’t some cosmic regression to the mean. This was a guy realizing he was handing out cheat codes and finally shutting the PlayStation off.

PitchingNinja even dropped a side-by-side comparison of Tipping Luzardo vs. Fixed Luzardo, and it’s night and day.

The Ressurrection of Jesus Luzardo

Jesús Luzardo, Changeups (both with a runner on 2B)

Old hand position is in Red outline. pic.twitter.com/wvZLl6K4AS

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 11, 2025

Back to Being a Problem

That’s now four double-digit strikeout games in Luzardo’s first 15 starts with the Phillies — something only Steve Carlton has done before. That’s not small talk. That’s historical territory.

More importantly, Luzardo looked confident again. He fought off early pressure in the second inning after he gave up back-to-back singles, by striking out the side. He cruised the rest of the way.

THAT version of Luzardo is a game-changer. The Phillies needed a spark. Luzardo brought the fire.

If tipping pitches is behind The Lizard King, then Jesus Luzardo is about to show the congregation how a resurrection really feels.

Jesus Luzardo dominates, Schwarber and Bohm go yard as Phillies finally wake up against the Cubs

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