Jesús Luzardo will take the ball—or at least open the game—for Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon, giving the Phillies a left-handed answer in Game 1 of their National League Wild Card Series against the Braves at Truist Park.
Interim manager Don Mattingly announced Luzardo as the Game 1 starter Monday, while cautioning that the assignment may be brief. Luzardo had not started since Sept. 7 because of inflammation in his left shoulder and made only one appearance during the layoff: a spotless, four-pitch eighth inning in Sunday’s clinching win over Tampa Bay at Citizens Bank Park.
That outing secured the third NL Wild Card berth and sent the Phillies into their home clubhouse celebration. Luzardo joined it wearing a red Phillies hoodie with ski goggles resting on his head, but the larger takeaway came from how quickly he retired the side.
“I’m ready to handle whatever the club needs from me,” Luzardo said after the victory.
A short leash, but an important first inning
Mattingly stopped just short of describing Luzardo as a conventional starter.
“I should probably call it an opening assignment,” Mattingly said, before adding that Luzardo will largely be treated as the starter.
Philadelphia has not set a public pitch count, and Mattingly acknowledged the club cannot be certain what it will get from a pitcher who has worked only once in more than three weeks. Still, Luzardo’s return is significant after the Phillies surrendered 30 runs across three losses while relying on openers during his absence.
“The goal is to begin well and then see how the game develops,” Mattingly said.
The Phillies had to use Zack Wheeler in Sunday’s regular-season finale to lock down a postseason berth after nearly letting a four-game edge over Arizona disappear with five games left. That decision left Luzardo as the necessary Game 1 choice against Atlanta.
Realmuto saw the rust—and then the results
J.T. Realmuto caught Luzardo’s Sunday inning and said the left-hander did not inspire immediate calm while warming up. Realmuto was taking swings in the batting cage when he saw the bullpen session on a closed-circuit feed, and Luzardo had yet to throw a strike.
Realmuto said the hitters were wondering how they would navigate the upcoming inning because Luzardo’s warmup looked shaky. The catcher said there was some rust even once Luzardo reached the mound, then the inning was over almost as soon as it began.
“That’s baseball,” Realmuto said with a smile.
Realmuto said Luzardo’s stuff was sharp once the game began. He had considered calling a first-pitch sweeper to test the offering, but expected Luzardo would need more than one pitch to finish the third hitter. Instead, Realmuto planned to get ahead with a sinker and turn to the sweeper afterward. Luzardo never needed it.
Bullpen support behind Luzardo
Once Luzardo reaches his limit, Philadelphia will turn the game over to its bullpen. Rookie right-hander Andrew Painter will be available in relief for Game 1, a setup that gives the Phillies another high-upside arm behind their opener.
Cristopher Sánchez is lined up for Game 2, while Aaron Nola is the likely Game 3 starter should the best-of-three series reach that point. Wheeler’s availability remains uncertain after his Sunday start.
Mattingly said Wheeler could potentially enter the picture if the series gets to a third game, which would put him on four days of rest, but stressed that the decision depends on how Wheeler responds over the next several days.
The Phillies would not be handing Luzardo this assignment if he had not emerged from Sunday’s appearance feeling normal, Mattingly said. For now, Philadelphia needs its returning left-hander to give it a clean beginning against a familiar division opponent—and give the bullpen a game it can finish.
Game 1 is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET Tuesday on NBC and Peacock.
