PHILADELPHIA — Jesús Luzardo, once a strong contender for the Cy Young Award, is facing challenges in maintaining his form. In Friday’s game against the Reds at Citizens Bank Park, Luzardo struggled significantly, allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits and three walks over just two-plus innings.
Luzardo initially performed well, retiring four batters consecutively with three strikeouts. However, he faltered later in the game, managing to retire only two of the final 11 hitters he faced. All six Reds batters reached base safely in the third inning, leading to his removal from the game.
Luzardo’s early season ERA of 2.15 has now increased to 4.44. Reflecting on his performance, Luzardo stated, “Every time I’m out there, I feel like my stuff is just as good. Now, it’s just more of commanding it and throwing it for strikes.”
On Friday, Luzardo was unable to effectively use his breaking ball. Of the 12 breaking balls he threw—seven sweepers and five sliders—none landed in the strike zone. The Reds capitalized on this by waiting for pitches they could hit.
“We were patient and made him come to us,” said Reds first baseman Spencer Steer.
The third inning was reminiscent of Luzardo’s previous struggles against teams like the Brewers and Blue Jays earlier in the season. Despite bouncing back with solid performances against teams like the Cubs and Mets in June, inconsistencies remain evident.
Luzardo has allowed an average of 1.77 baserunners per inning over his past four starts. His season WHIP has risen to 1.47, which ranks second-highest among qualified starters this season.
Adjustments made to Luzardo’s pitching mechanics have yet to yield consistent results. “We tinkered a lot with coming out of the stretch with the whole pitch-tipping thing,” he said.
Manager Rob Thomson commented on Luzardo’s need for improvement: “He’s got to be able to throw strikes out of the stretch.”
With uncertainty around Luzardo and other pitchers such as Mick Abel being sent down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia’s starting rotation faces potential instability beyond its top trio: Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suárez, and Cristopher Sánchez.
Despite recent setbacks, Thomson remains confident in Luzardo’s abilities: “I still have all the confidence in the world in Luzardo… everybody is going to have bad outings here and there.”
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