“I was a little over-served, but Jesus was electric.”
These may have been words from Saint Peter at the last supper, or maybe even a guest at the wedding in Cana when water turned to wine.
In reality, they are words from Phillies fan Mitchell Warner after attending Jesus Luzardo’s start against the Dodgers, and he speaks for everyone in the greater Philadelphia area.
He may have been over-served, but Mitchell’s eyes did not deceive him. Against the presumptive best team in baseball, Jesus Luzardo threw an absolute gem.
Luzardo’s start against the Dodgers may have come in April, but the feeling throughout Citizens Bank Park had more of an October feel. Luzardo handled it like an ace.
Phillies fans are no strangers to Luzardo and his talent. Afterall, he has played for the division rival Miami Marlins since 2021.
Yet for all his talent—he was once considered one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball—he was seemingly lost in an offseason that most Phillies fans wanted to forget.
After losing to the Mets in the NLDS, most fans expected a bigger move. Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker were the two position players most pined for. At pitcher, the biggest prize was Garrett Crochet. All of those players ended up in either Boston or Chicago.
Instead, the Phillies’ biggest addition was Jesus Luzardo, and the acquisition did not generate much excitement. Now, in just three starts for Philadelphia, Luzardo is the talk of the town.
His three starts have come in big spots: the Nationals, Dodgers and Braves. In those starts, Luzardo earned two wins and 25 strikeouts across 18 innings of work. He has just a 1.50 ERA. His WHIP is even more impressive, boasting a 1.24. He has had good seasons before, but through three starts, Luzardo is having his best season yet.
The difference for Luzardo is his new pitch, the sweeper. This year, his sweeper has essentially replaced his slider. Last season Luzardo through the slider 29.3% of his pitches. This year he has thrown it only 12.5%, instead favoring the sweeper at 25.7%. At almost the exact same velocity, his sweeper has more horizontal break and induces a strike 66% of the time he throws it. That is elite stuff. With a strong pitch added to an already lethal arsenal that includes one of the best fastballs in baseball, the sky is the limit for a pitcher that was supposed to be the Phillies’ fifth option.
The MLB season is a long one, and certainly, Luzardo will have some down games. Even Zack Wheeler has an off day every now and then. But a healthy Luzardo pitching at this clip means that the Phillies have inarguably the best rotation in all of baseball.
To put it simply, they are electric.
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