Jesús

Luzardo

Sensational. Luzardo was anything but in his start against the Rangers on Sunday, and while it came against the worst team in baseball, it’s still one of the better starts for any pitcher in 2026. He was able to pick up those 11 strikeout while generating a phenomenal 23 swings-and-misses, and he didn’t walk anyone while throwing 72-of-99 pitches for strikes. He’ll try and keep this up Friday when he faces the Diamondbacks.

Luzardo struck out seven, but he surrendered homers to Brandon Nimmo and Andrew McCutchen that plated a total of five runs. Luzardo was exceptional at keeping the ball in the yard in the first half of last year, allowing a total of seven homers in 104 1/3 innings prior to the break. In the second half, he didn’t have quite as much luck there, giving up nine in 79 1/3 innings. He’ll make his next start against the Rockies in Coors, though that’s not always such a bad thing this early in the year.

Luzardo also struck out six and walked two while registering a 22.5 percent whiff rate. His sweeper did most of the damage in terms of swing-and-miss, and it’s worth noting that his fastball did get hit hard in this one, with four hard-hit balls allowed and an average exit velocity of 92 mph. It was still a strong outing overall for Luzardo, who heads into 2026 looking to build on what was a career season in 2025.

That had been a foregone conclusion for a while now, but is now official. The bigger question will be whether he or Taijuan Walker gets bumped once Zack Wheeler (shoulder) is ready to return. Cristopher Sanchez will work on Opening Day for the Phillies and will be followed by Aaron Nola. Jesus Luzardo, Walker and Painter in that order.

Venezuela checked back in to see if Luzardo might be available to pitch in the championship round of the WBC, but he again declined. Had he changed his mind, he likely would have gotten the nod over Eduardo Rodriguez to face Team USA tonight. Luzardo, though, didn’t want to risk overdoing it ahead of the long season. His velocity today was down from last year by about one mph on his fastball and three mph on his changeup, but it seems like it’s part of the process for him.

Nothing all that concerning underneath the hood, Luzardo’s sinker was averaging 95.7 mph and he found four whiffs and 13 called strikes with his two main pitches today. He remains a fine No. 2/No. 3 starter bet in mixed leagues.

The extension makes the 28-year-old southpaw one of the highest paid left-handed pitchers in all of baseball. If comes off of a season in which he posted a 3.92 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a 216/57 K/BB ratio across 183 2/3 innings in his first year with the ballclub. The deal will keep him in Philadelphia through the 2031 season.

Luzardo dominated Boston’s ‘B’ squad lineup, giving up zero hard-hit balls and finishing with a 42% CSW. After his heavy workload last season, Luzardo reportedly declined to pitch for either Venezuela or the U.S. in this month’s WBC, though Venezuela did include him on its reserve roster and could ask him again if it advances out of pool play.

Luzardo pitched well in his first year in Philadelphia, registering a 3.92 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 216/57 K/BB ratio in 183 2/3 innings. The left-hander will be back for at least one more year and then will be a free agent in 2027.

Luzardo came once the low-scoring contest went to extra-innings and looked sharp in a flawless 10th inning. He ran into some trouble in the ensuing frame and was lifted with two outs after Max Muncy singled to put the winning run at third base. He was charged with the series-deciding run when reliever Orion Kerkering uncorked an errant throw with the bases loaded to allow the Dodgers to advance in walk-off fashion.