Jesús Luzardo stumbles late in Miami

Luzardo did everything he could to give the Phillies a chance in this one, but when your offense is going against Cam Schlittler, runs will be hard to come by. Luzardo nearly matched Schlittler inning-for-inning on Friday night, but it was a solo homer by Paul Goldschmidt that proved to be the difference-maker in an otherwise strong performance by Luzardo. It’s a tough way to pick up his fifth loss of the season, but the Phillies and fantasy managers won’t be disappointed with the start, as Luzardo has now allowed one earned run or fewer in seven straight outings. He’ll look to pick up his 10th win of the season next week when he takes the mound on Wednesday against the Marlins.

Luzardo gave up two hits, walked two and struck out seven. He improved to 9-4 with the win. Luzardo had a 7.94 ERA in his first four starts of the season, but has since posted a 2.34 ERA in 92 2/3 innings over his last 16 starts. He has a 3.43 ERA and 2.90 xFIP on the season. Luzardo is lined up to face the Yankees at home next weekend.

Nola will start on Thursday, there will then be a day off to accommodate the World Cup Final, and then Luzardo and Rangel will throw on Saturday and Sunday. The Phillies could have chosen to use Zack Wheeler on normal rest this weekend, but the veteran will likely get a two-start week against the Dodgers and Yankees instead.

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.

It’s a colossal bummer for baseball fans hoping to see Misiorowski hurling triple-digit heaters during next week’s Midsummer Classic, but this was always the expected outcome here. Skenes, Misorowski and Meyer are all taking the ball for their respective club’s first-half finales on Sunday, which means there was zero chance they would be able to pitch in the All-Star Game just three days later. Luzardo, Ashcraft and O’Brien are headed to the game for the first time in their respective careers. It’s likely going to be Shohei Ohtani taking the ball to start for the National League based on how things are lining up from a schedule standpoint.

That Luzardo’s bad outings have been particularly bad denied him an All-Star gig, but he’s 7-4 with a 3.75 ERA after tonight, and the Phillies are 12-6 in his starts. He walked none in this one and has a 125/33 K/BB through 103 1/3 innings. He’ll likely make his next start Thursday in Philadelphia.

Luzardo walked three and needed 96 pitches to get his 15 outs today, and that lack of efficiency might have cost him a win; the Phillies were ahead 3-1 when he departed, but Chase Shugart gave up three runs in the sixth as the Mets took the lead. Luzardo has allowed a total of five earned runs in his last four starts, and the Phillies have won each of his last seven outings, though Luzardo has settled for three victories during the span. He’s 6-4 with a 3.88 ERA overall, and he’ll be facing the Royals next time out.

Luzardo gave up four runs in the fourth, which featured four singles and a walk. Three of the singles were grounders, and the fourth was a flare to the outfield. It was enough to ruin his ERA for the day and cost him a chance at a win in a game in which he tied his career high for strikeouts. It’s the 17th time he’s fanned 10 or more in 137 career starts. Luzardo will face the Mets next time out.

Luzardo came back to haunt his former club in this one, falling just shy of his third double-digit strikeout performance of the season. He carried a shutout into the seventh inning before surrendering a two-run homer to speedster Esteury Ruiz. The 28-year-old southpaw remains prone to the occasional meltdown, which makes him a frustrating pitcher to roster for fantasy purposes, but he’s allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 of his 15 starts this season. He holds a pedestrian 4.20 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 97/27 K/BB ratio across 85 2/3 innings overall. He’ll face the Nationals in a road matchup his next time out on Monday to kick off a two-start week.

This was yet another frustrating outing for Luzardo. His final line was solid, but he pitched with a comfortable lead from the third inning on and struggled with his efficiency. This was on display in the sixth inning. He had a six run lead, forced a groundout from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to start the inning, and was at just 79 pitches. Then, he proceeded to walk both Ernie Clement and Kazuma Okamoto before giving up a run-scoring single and was pulled before completing the frame. He remains too reliant on his sweeper, which forced 10 of his 13 total swings-and-misses, when opposing lineups are stacked with right-handed batters. Again, this was a fine start, just one that he made more difficult than it should have been. He’s scheduled to face the Marlins at home next time out.