With key corrections, Jesús Luzardo delivers seven shutout innings in a 6-3 win

CHICAGO — For the past five days, every pitch Jesús Luzardo threw was from the stretch.

In his recent starts, the left-hander had significant struggles with runners on base, completely losing his command out of the stretch. After a six-run inning doomed Luzardo last week against the Red Sox, the Phillies started over to try to fix the problem. Every pitch in his bullpen and all his in-between work was out of the stretch, and he made a small adjustment with his foot placement.

All that practice was put to the test immediately in Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the White Sox when Chicago’s leadoff hitter, Chase Meidroth, reached on a throwing error from Otto Kemp.

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At first, Luzardo’s struggles continued. He was helped out by some big plays by Brandon Marsh in center field, including a sliding catch to rob Miguel Vargas, but the White Sox were making hard contact. A single and a walk loaded the bases with two outs in the first. It seemed like Luzardo was teetering on the edge of another meltdown.

But after Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham went out to the mound to talk to him, Luzardo went back to pitching from the windup with the bases loaded.

“It was real simple, it was more of just, ‘Hey, you’re one pitch away. We have two outs, and it’s a lefty up there. So let’s make it. Let’s make a pitch,’” Luzardo said.

Going back to the windup with the bases loaded was something Luzardo had avoided in his last start, since he did not want to allow the runner at third to steal home. But when he instead gave up a grand slam, he regretted that decision.

“Just kind of kicking myself last week, I could have gone into the windup, and I wanted to, and I second-guessed it, and it didn’t work out,” he said.

This time, he didn’t second-guess himself. He told Cotham he was going back to the windup, and it ultimately helped him escape the jam unscathed. Luzardo induced a flyout to end the inning, and retired the next 10 White Sox hitters en route to seven scoreless innings.

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Luzardo had some early run support. The Phillies scored two runs in the second inning on two straight sacrifice flies, and added four in the third on two-run home runs from Kyle Schwarber and Marsh.

Schwarber sent a towering 441-foot shot to right field for his 37th homer of the season. Marsh, who also doubled, smacked his first homer since July 2.

“Just taking advantage of the pitches I’m getting a little bit more,” Marsh said. “Trying not to miss as much as the ones over the plate that I’m looking for, not trying to foul them off. Today was a good one, and we can build off it tomorrow.”

When the White Sox put two runners aboard in the fifth with a single and a catching error was charged to Luzardo, he rebounded with a strikeout and a lineout. His velocity was down across the board, with his four-seam averaging 1.7 mph slower than normal, and he said he didn’t have his best stuff.

“I think he was really focused on pitching and not throwing tonight,” said manager Rob Thomson. “But I think everybody’s velocity was down a little bit tonight. I don’t know if it’s humidity or what. It was hot out there.”

But Luzardo’s ability to get outs regardless of that gave him renewed confidence.

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“It just kind of reassures the confidence and understanding that I can still do it, and I still have it in me,” he said. “ … It’s more of limiting that, a blowup, or the walks, little things like that. But today was obviously a step in the right direction.”

After a 1-2-3 eighth inning from Jordan Romano, the White Sox spoiled the shutout off Daniel Robert in the ninth. They scored three runs on a pair of singles and a home run. Thomson said Robert had not pitched in a few days because of a “cracked nail.” He induced a lineout to end the game.