The Philadelphia Phillies (87-60) have pushed through the deluge of adversity that has flooded the clubhouse over the last month and are drawing closer to the first-place Milwaukee Brewers (89-58), as home-field advantage in the playoffs looms large (49-23 record at Citizens Bank Park). Though, no matter where the Fightin’ Phils play in October, they will need to have nerves of steel. Adversity cannot rattle them like the last two years. Well, perhaps Jesus Luzardo could help on that front.Following a brutal start to Thursday’s series finale versus the New York Mets, which saw him allow four runs on five hits in the first inning, the veteran left-handed starting pitcher composed himself and did not allow another baserunner across the next seven innings. What began as another rough outing against the Orange and Blue quickly became a masterful performance that allowed the Phillies to earn a sweep-clinching, 6-4 comeback victory.
It also served as a lesson for all the aspiring big-leaguers out there: a bad stretch does not have to define your entire game. Luzardo retired 22 straight batters and finished with 10 strikeouts. Rarely does a pitcher enjoy such a drastic turnaround. The 27-year-old morphed into a completely different hurler on the mound in an instant.
Philly is not surprised, though. The organization knows what kind of a difference-maker he can be, hence why president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski acquired him from the Miami Marlins last December. Whether Luzardo is starting or working out of the bullpen this postseason, he has the ability to boost this franchise toward its ultimate goal. He showed as much on Thursday night.
Jesus Luzardo said all the right things after Phillies’ win
The 2016 third-round draft pick stayed humble after the triumph, crediting the squad’s lineup for instilling confidence in him.
“A lot of faith obviously in our offense,” Luzardo told Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal after the thriller. “The mindset was hold them there and we have a potent offense, so let them do what they do best and just give us a chance to win… You just get into a flow state, like we like to call it. Not many thoughts, you’re just kind of going and you’re kind of throwing everything where you want to.”
Luzardo is bias, but his glowing praise for the lineup is completely accurate. It was not just the star players who got the job done at the plate in this one. Otto Kemp capped off a productive series versus the Mets by going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, and midseason acquisition Harrison Bader drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning. Bryce Harper lived up to his credentials, recording two hits and two RBIs.
After giving up four runs in the first inning, Jesús Luzardo pitched seven dominant scoreless innings to get the win as the Phillies swept the Mets. 👏@Ken_Rosenthal caught up with the Phillies SP after the big win tonight ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/QP3w8Nrar5
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Closer Jhoan Duran, who, like Bader, came over in a trade with the Minnesota Twins, struck out Juan Soto, Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos in the ninth. This club fired on all cylinders in The Bank. But Jesus Luzardo deserves special recognition for adjusting quickly and having a ridiculously short memory. His resilient showing encapsulates what this team has become in the second half of the campaign.
When the Phillies lost ace Zack Wheeler for the season due to venous thoracic outlet syndrome, it would have been easy to waver internally. The same could have been said when excellent shortstop Trea Turner and 2024 All-Star Alec Bohm landed on the injured list earlier this week.
Instead, this group proceeded to win four straight against New York and build an insurmountable 11-game lead in the National League East. Philadelphia is somehow growing stronger after absorbing these blows. That quality is essential in the playoffs.
