What Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo learned about himself during recent upswing

New York Times

3 days ago

ARLINGTON, Texas — He looked to the sky before stepping onto the mound again, rolling his shoulders before taking the ball. Then came the routine throws, warming an arm already 69 pitches in, six hits deep in the fifth inning.
Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo faced the minimum that inning (with some credit to J.T. Realmuto catching a runner stealing) and again in the sixth against the Texas Rangers on Saturday. After a three-hit first, he only got better. No meltdowns from the stretch. Just settling into the game, using his arsenal and getting results as the Phillies won 3-2.
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'I think, at times, maybe out of the stretch, with the tipping, it might have been in my mind,' Luzardo said Friday. 'And I need to be more watchful and more mindful of that. … I have the same mindset going into every start. Unfortunately, not all of them work out the same way. But lately we've been on a good stretch of pitching better and kind of just rolling with the punches a little bit more, understanding that not every outing should be scoreless.'
That run continued Saturday, as Luzardo gave up seven hits and one run while striking out four in six innings against the Rangers. Another encouraging outing could mark a new chapter in what has been a bizarre year for the lefty.
He began 2025 looking like a Cy Young candidate, producing a 2.15 ERA across his first 11 starts. Then came potential pitch tipping, which he addressed with mechanical adjustments when pitching from the stretch. There was no more tipping, but also less strike-throwing and more struggles after changing his mechanics. Entering Saturday's start, Luzardo had a 6.75 ERA in his 12 appearances since the first tipping incident on May 31.
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Across his last three outings, however, he's given up four runs and struck out 15 in 19 innings. It is arguably his best run since May 31. It seems he has found something, or several things.
The first is a way to limit big innings.
'When you start slicing it, it's like, 'What does that mean?'' pitching coach Caleb Cotham said on July 21. 'All roads kind of come back to making good pitches and sometimes getting a little luck. You stop making pitches, not getting a little luck, the ball is not going to somebody, (it's difficult).'
In situations with traffic, Luzardo was not finding the double-plays or ground-balls. The Phillies searched for something in his arsenal to get those outcomes, though Cotham said he is not picky about how they get the outs. The traffic-heavy first on Saturday ended with a pop-out and a fly-out, the latter of which came on one pitch.
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But, Cotham later said, it is less about forcing those outcomes and more about the process.
'What he is working on in those big moments is to be the loudest person in the room on what you want to do, and that's (to) impact the zone,' Cotham said. 'Because, if you go down in the strike zone, you can live with that. It's tougher to live going down walking guys.'
Two of Luzardo's worst starts post-tipping — against the Red Sox on July 23 and the Reds on July 4 — produced a combined eight walks. Over his past three starts, he has walked two. The in-zone rate on his slider, fastball and sweeper, three of his five-pitch arsenal, has somewhat increased over the past month. Staying in the zone and initiating more contact can also alleviate another problem of Luzardo's: deep pitch counts, which have increased since making the mechanical adjustments.
He is attacking. He is trying, but not over-trying. He is in his head, but in a positive way. It is not about making great pitches all the time, but good pitches.
'Just taking my time, really thinking about what I want to do with each pitch and understanding, kind of, a plan for each batter and taking it pitch by pitch,' Luzardo said of limiting big innings.
There is a cost to working too much on the mound, Cotham said. Taking a second to breathe could be a difference-maker. So is continuing to attack when trouble comes. Cotham saw that in Chicago, where Luzardo escaped a bases-loaded situation with a two-pitch fly-out. And Luzardo attacked again with runners on against Texas, spinning off the mound and fist-pumping after a three-pitch strikeout to end the fourth with two stranded.
Feeling more comfortable from the stretch has gone hand in hand with limiting big innings. Luzardo has spent more time in the stretch while practicing. He said they have figured out the rhythm, which is the 'biggest thing.'
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Could those struggles be behind him?
'Yeah, I mean, I think today was a good test of that,' Luzardo said. 'Obviously, a lot of traffic on the bases, and I thought we handled it pretty well.'
Feeling better and pitching better from the stretch could have implications for the Phillies' postseason roster outlook. The club, now 4.5 games up on the Mets, could still deploy Luzardo in the bullpen come October. He has the stuff. Now, he seems to have the confidence to pitch with runners on — a necessity, obviously, in a postseason bullpen.
That will come later. Now, for Luzardo, it is about keeping a good thing going.
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