Jesús Luzardo’s gets hit hard in an 11-2 rout by the Cubs as Phillies’ early-season concerns mount
After his latest outing against Chicago in which he gave up 12 hits and nine runs, Luzardo has now allowed 28 hits and 20 earned runs in 22⅔ innings for a 7.94 ERA through four starts.
Jesús Luzardo spun like a top on his right leg, whipped his head around, and watched it go, the ball, the game, all of it vanishing in the left-field bleachers 400 feet from home plate.
And it wasn’t among the five hardest hits he allowed.
It was the fifth inning Wednesday night, and the lefty was getting crushed by the Cubs in an eventual 11-2 Phillies humiliation (utility infielder Dylan Moore pitched the ninth inning) and Luzardo’s worst start in 11 months.
Then, he believed he was tipping pitches.
Now?
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“I’m not tipping,” Luzardo said definitively after giving up nine runs on 12 hits. “We work tirelessly to make sure of that. All my throws in between starts are out of the stretch. Obviously it’s something that’s kind of biting me, so it’s something we’ve got to fix asap.
“But yeah, it’s not tipping.”
Whatever the case, add it to the list of Phillies concerns amid an 8-10 start that has everybody scratching their heads, no one more than Luzardo, who has given up 28 hits and 20 earned runs in 22⅔ innings for a 7.94 ERA through four starts.
OK, let’s pause for perspective. If the Phillies carved last season into a bunch of 18-game slices, they would find 21 in which they were 8-10 or worse. In 2024, they had 23 such segments.
They won 96 and 95 games, respectively.
It’s possible, then, maybe even likely, that this is just a bad first 18 games from a good team. But there’s also enough early red flags to dig into as the Phillies get a day off Thursday to clear their heads.
Go ahead and take your pick:
Sloppy defense: Entering the finale against the Cubs, the Phillies were the worst fielding team in the majors based on Sports Info Solution’s defensive runs saved (minus-17). Then, a run scored in the third inning after catcher J.T. Realmuto’s errant throw on a double-steal was fumbled by backing-up Trea Turner.
“Just individual fundamentals, really,” manager Rob Thomson said. “They work on tags every day. The catchers throw to the bases a couple times a week, Those are some of the things that you’re going through when times are tough. We’ve just got to keep grinding through this and fight.”
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Lost vs. lefties: There’s a reason why the Phillies tried hard to sign righty-hitting slugger Bo Bichette. They were batting .181 with a .534 OPS against left-handed starting pitchers, and that was before Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga held them to three hits and racked up 11 strikeouts.
“I think it all gets back to the basics, and you’ve got to keep it simple: You’ve got to control the strike zone,” Thomson said. “You’ve got to hit the ball in the middle of the field and try not to do too much, and we’re not doing that right now.”
Bryce Harper said the Phillies’ biggest problem against lefties is “chasing [pitches] out of the zone.” He was diplomatic. Righty-hitting Alec Bohm is 2-for-21 against lefty starters; J.T. Realmuto is 3-for-18; Adolis Garcia is 7-for-28 after getting two hits against Imanaga.
(Imagine if Bichette wasn’t off to a 17-for-75, one-homer start for the Mets.)
Are the Phillies pressing at the plate?
“I think that’s a question for everybody else,“ said Harper, who hit a garbage-time homer in the ninth inning. ”I feel great, so I’m not sure."
Luzardo’s struggles: Five of the Cubs’ hits left the bat at more than 100 mph. Nico Hoerner’s two-run homer in the fifth inning was 99.1 mph. The nine runs and 12 hits were the most against Luzardo since May 31 of last season by the Brewers.
Of the 28 hits allowed by Luzardo this season, 15 have come with runners on base. The Cubs strung together five hits in a row in the fifth inning and again in the sixth. In the fifth, Matt Shaw (double), Hoerner (homer), Alex Bregman (single), and Seiya Suzuki (single) all hit the ball harder 96 mph or harder.
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But Luzardo, who signed a five-year, $135 million extension in spring training, was sure that he isn’t inadvertently giving clues about which pitches are coming, as he did in back-to-back starts last year.
“It’s got to be something else, whether it’s pitch usage or … I don’t know,” said Luzardo, who walked off the mound in the sixth inning to boos from 38,254 paying customers. “I don’t want to speculate. I kind of want to dive deeper into it.”
Luzardo might need a scuba session before he faces the Cubs again next week in Wrigley Field. But he isn’t alone. After 18 games, the search for answers will take place across the board.
“Obviously [it’s] early in the season, but I don’t like that notion because I like to win games in April as much as I like to win games in September,” Harper said. “Just got to keep grinding, keep going out there, and you know, win the month.”
Thirteen more games until May.
Gage Wood might have pitched the best game in college baseball history 10 months ago. Now, with Andrew Painter in the majors, Wood is the Phillies’ top pitching prospect. The 22-year-old righty joins Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to discuss his strong start to the season. Watch here.
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Previous episodes: Scott Boras | Brian Barber | Aaron Nola | Justin Crawford | Garrett Stubbs | Kyle Schwarber | Brad Keller | J.T.Realmuto | Orion Kerkering | Whit Merrifield
