Jesús Luzardo pitched two-hit ball for seven innings and fanned 11 in seven innings Thursday in the Phillies’ 1-0 shutout of the Reds.
Luzardo threw his final pitch in a scoreless game., but Justin Crawford singled in pinch-runner Derek Hill in the top of the eighth to put the lefty in line for a win. Jonathan Bowlan and Jhoan Duran then finished up. Some weren’t happy about Luzardo’s All-Star selection, and there’s certainly a good argument that teammate Zack Wheeler would have been a better choice. Luzardo, though, has allowed two runs or fewer in 13 of his 19 starts and seems well on his way to his third strong season in the last four. He ends the first half 8-4 with a 3.52 ERA and a 136/35 K/BB in 110 1/3 innings. He’s fourth in the majors in strikeouts.
