What's wrong with Jesús Luzardo? Phillies, lefty look for answers after 20 runs in 2 starts
TORONTO — Saddled with an unfathomable 20 runs over two starts, Jesús Luzardo retreated Thursday afternoon to the visitors' clubhouse at Rogers Centre and relived it. None of it sat well with Luzardo, who permitted 19 runs in his first 11 starts with the Phillies. But there were specific pitches and certain swings that bothered him.
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He didn't rewatch all 61 pitches he threw in Thursday's 9-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. There will be time for that this weekend as the Phillies dive deeper into what happened. Luzardo queued one pitch, a changeup to Ernie Clement in the third inning. It was a good 2-2 pitch, well below the zone, but Clement clipped it for a double to left. 'One I should least-worry about,' Luzardo said. But this chapped him.
Even when he did execute a decent pitch, he was burned.
'There's something obvious that we're missing when the first 11 starts are lights-out and then the next two are 20 earned runs,' Luzardo said. 'There's got to be something we can find and fix and make that change. It has to happen fast.'
The season is 62 games deep, and the Phillies have had better stretches than the last seven days. They limped to Pittsburgh having used a position player to pitch for the second time in five days, and a bullpen game planned for Friday night at PNC Park. Zack Wheeler remains away from the team to tend to a family matter. It's been 22 days since Aaron Nola last pitched, and he still hasn't faced any hitters. Taijuan Walker, now a one-inning reliever, emerged Thursday from the bullpen throwing 92 mph. The Phillies' offense exploded for six runs in the first inning this week at Rogers Centre, then mustered four runs over the subsequent 26 innings.
And, then, there is Luzardo. He lasted only 2 1/3 innings Thursday. He allowed eight more runs.
'I mean, they're just on everything,' Luzardo said. 'It almost looks like they know what's coming. So I don't have an answer, but there's no one working harder at finding an answer than me. I know how frustrating it is — fan base, teammates and coaching staff, watching that. But there is no one more frustrated than me. I'm trying to find ways to fix it. Like, now. I need it now.'
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The whole thing is staggering. Luzardo's ERA went from 2.15 to 4.46 in two starts. His 20 runs allowed in that two-start span are the most by a Phillies pitcher in more than 100 years. A fellow named Bill Hubbell surrendered 21 over two starts in 1922. Toronto's hitters, much like Milwaukee's last weekend, attacked Luzardo early in the count. Three Blue Jays hits — a homer, double and single — were on the first pitch.
Luzardo has thrown first-pitch strikes to 35 of the 41 batters he's faced in these two disastrous starts.
'They're really aggressive on him,' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. 'So we've got to take a look at that. Everything's hard. They're coming up there and they're swinging. So we have to address it.'
Luzardo threw hard; his fastball averaged 96.5 in Thursday's outing. He hit 98 mph. Everything the Phillies measure with their pitchers to catch potential red flags has not indicated any physical issues. But Luzardo has logged more innings than he did all of last season, and he was not regarded as a durable pitcher before joining the Phillies.
Thomson maintains Luzardo's issues are a lack of execution. Could his inability to execute be a product of pitching deep into most of his 11 starts to begin the season?
'Could be,' Thomson said. 'But he hasn't in the last two starts, so maybe that'll help him.'
'I feel healthy,' Luzardo said, 'so that's the most frustrating part.'
The Phillies are not in a position to press pause on Luzardo's season — even if that was something they'd consider. They might have to rearrange their pitchers, whether it's before or after Friday's bullpen game. They do not expect Wheeler to rejoin the rotation until sometime next week. The forecast is not good for Friday night in Pittsburgh, so the Phillies decided that was the best night for the bullpen game. It gives Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez, who will start Saturday and Sunday, respectively, an extra day of rest.
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Joe Ross will start Friday night. He could throw two innings before the Phillies unload their bullpen. The Phillies have committed to moving Walker to the bullpen and did not feel it was fair to reverse course yet again. He pitched a scoreless inning in Thursday's game; the club hoped for a larger jump in Walker's stuff during a one-inning burst. Walker topped out at only 93 mph. Thomson said he did not have the most time to warm up; Phillies batters saw only seven pitches in the top half of the inning as Walker prepared.
Seth Johnson, making his first appearance as a big-league reliever, threw strikes. He touched 99 mph. He will stick around. 'He showed me something today with that velocity and the spin,' Thomson said. There could be more roster changes over the weekend.
That's all about survival. Luzardo's issues loom larger.
'No one's really rattled, right?' Kyle Schwarber said. 'I think it's just more of a shock thing. You're just like, 'Man, really? Guys are putting good swings on that kind of arm?' But everyone's got faith in him.'
Luzardo is baffled. If he is tipping — a convenient excuse for struggling pitchers — the Phillies have not discovered anything.
'I'll look into it,' Luzardo said. 'I thought I looked into it last start. I didn't see anything. Just certain swings, certain takes — it just looks a little off to me. Something that I hadn't noticed earlier in the year. It could be location. It could be selection. So there could be a lot of things.'
Luzardo is 27, and he's still learning. The Phillies are still learning how he ticks. He expanded his arsenal with a sweeping slider that helped him better navigate an opposing lineup three times. He looked invincible through the first seven weeks of the season.
They will all learn something about the lefty when faced with a challenge like this.
'What I can do is go back in,' Luzardo said, 'and make a game plan that's bulletproof.'
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