Phillies' Jesus Luzardo is Significantly Worse With Runners on Base in Recent Starts
The Philadelphia Phillies' starting rotation has been one of the best in baseball this season. Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez, and Christopher Sanchez have been dominant, especially in the last month.
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The same cannot be said for Jesus Luzardo. After his latest outing, this time against the Cincinnati Reds, Luzardo's ERA jumped up to 4.44. He managed only two innings, allowing five earned runs and six hits.
His struggles are of major concern for the Phillies, and Matt Gelb of The Athletic shared a statistic that points towards his struggles recently.
Since June 5th, when Luzardo changed his mechanics from the stretch, he has had a "drastic gap in his performance," according to Gelb.
With no one on base, Luzardo has a .226 batting average allowed, with a .294 OBP, a .242 slugging percentage, six walks, and 23 strikeouts in 68 plate appearances.
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But, with runners on, and pitching out of the stretch, Luzardo is allowing batters to hit .423/.492/.692 with seven walks and 11 strikeouts in 59 plate appearances.
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Truist Park.Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
It's a stark difference for Luzardo, and it points to his struggles from the stretch, which have caused his blowup outings. If he can keep runners off the base paths, he pitches well. But once runners get on, the traffic doesn't stop.
Luzardo's season has been the tale of two halves. Through his first 11 starts, Luzardo had a 2.15 ERA and a 5-0 record with 77 strikeouts and 19 walks. But, since May 31st, things have gone very poorly.
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He's started seven games in that span, has an ERA of 9.49, and has struck out 38 batters while walking 16. Despite his struggles, the potential is still there, evident by his six-inning outing against the Chicago Cubs and 6.2-inning outing against the New York Mets.
But he's struggled too much lately, and after his latest start, there is palpable concern with the back end of the rotation in Philadelphia. Mick Abel was sent down, Andrew Painter is struggling in Triple-A, and Luzardo can't find his stuff.
The sheer difference in performance for Luzardo with runners on and off the base paths is of major concern. If he can't figure things out soon, the Phillies could be in trouble with the back end of their rotation.
Related: Phillies' Ranger Suarez Gets Massive New Contract Prediction
Related: Phillies Announce Major Roster Move Ahead of Reds Series
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
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