Jesus Luzardo dominates in Colorado, Phillies have won four straight
Jesus Luzardo went to Coors Field on Saturday night and threw one of the best games of his Phillies career. Six and two thirds innings, one earned run, five hits, zero walks, eleven strikeouts. At the most hitter-friendly park in baseball. The Phillies won 2-1 and have now won four straight.
Jesus Luzardo: 6.2 IP | ER | 5 H | 11 K
After his rough debut against the Rangers where two bad pitches cost him five runs, Luzardo came back and looked like the pitcher everyone expected when the Phillies acquired him. Rob Thomson said before the game that Luzardo was sharper than his first-start line suggested. That confidence was well placed.
The stuff was electric. Rockies hitters missed on 13 of 31 swings against his changeup and sweeper combined, a 42 percent miss rate. Seven of his eleven strikeouts came on one of those two pitches.
He induced 23 total whiffs, the third-most in a single game of his career. The Rockies put 13 balls in play and only two were hit at 95 mph or harder. Both were outs. Their average exit velocity against him was 79.5 mph. He was untouchable.
The changeup has always been his best pitch, dating back to when it made him a top prospect in the Athletics organization. He added the sweeper in 2025 and the combination of the two is what makes him genuinely dangerous.
On Saturday he said the key was not the movement on either pitch but the sequencing, setting one up with the other and attacking hitters in specific counts based on the game plan he and JT Realmuto built going in.
He also challenged an ABS call in the sixth inning when he thought a borderline pitch was a strike and won it. On the very next pitch he struck Hunter Goodman out on a changeup. Most pitchers do not challenge because they tend to think everything is a strike. Luzardo said he was convicted on that one. He earned the right to say that on a night like Saturday.
The offense did just enough. Schwarber blooped a broken-bat double in the first to score Turner for the opening run. Turner came up in the fifth and doubled in the go-ahead run. Two runs, 2-1 final, Luzardo made it hold up. Alvarado and Keller combined for a scoreless seventh and eighth and Duran picked up his third save.
Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner RBIs
Nola gave them six innings and one run on Friday. Luzardo gave them six and two thirds and one run on Saturday. Phillies starters in two games at Coors Field have allowed two total runs across thirteen innings. That is a 1.38 ERA at the most dangerous hitter’s park in the sport while Zack Wheeler is still working his way back from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery.
Phillies finally ‘get right’ in Colorado, destroy the Rockies 10-1 >>
The rotation is going to be fine. Four straight wins. 5-3 on the season. Series finale tomorrow.
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GG from Lizardo, even the biggest bums have their days of being good. I for one and seem like the only, am not convinced. Wait till post season baseball he’s going to be the one that cost this team. – A random Philly oracle