Luzardo leaves tough '26 debut in the dust with 11-K gem 

DENVER -- Prior to Saturday’s game against the Rockies at Coors Field, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that Jesús Luzardo mostly pitched well in his season debut against the Rangers on March 29, and that outside of two pitches that cost him five runs, the left-hander was pretty sharp.

That pregame confidence proved to be well-placed.

Luzardo tossed 6 2/3 stellar innings with 11 strikeouts in a 2-1 win over Colorado, getting just enough offense to back his dominant performance and net the Phillies their fourth consecutive victory.

A day after the lineup broke out for 10 runs, two runs were all the Phillies needed on Saturday. In the first inning, Kyle Schwarber blooped a broken-bat double down the left-field line to drive in Trea Turner for Philadelphia’s first run. Turner then delivered a go-ahead RBI double in the fifth that Luzardo and the Phils’ relief corps made stand up.

Overall, Luzardo yielded one run, scattered five hits and didn’t walk a batter. His gem followed a great outing by Aaron Nola the day before and, combined, Phillies starters in their series at the most hitter-friendly park in the Majors have given up two runs across 13 innings (1.38 ERA).

“I felt good, just like last time. I did a little better job of limiting hard contact, keeping the ball in the field,” Luzardo said. “... Got ahead a little bit better and put guys away later on.”

Luzardo’s changeup and sweeper, in particular, were effective, with Rockies hitters missing on 13 of 31 (42%) swings against those offerings. Of his 11 strikeouts, seven came on either the changeup or the sweeper.

“The [sweeper] and the changeup were really, really good,” Thomson said. “As good as I’ve seen them, really.”

Luzardo induced 23 whiffs, the third-most in a single game in his career behind his 26 against the Rockies in Miami while he was with the Marlins on July 23, 2023, and his 25 in Miami against the Mets on Sept. 9, 2021.

Luzardo’s changeup has always been excellent, a pitch that made him a top prospect in the Athletics organization when he was coming up through the Minor Leagues and then over his first several Major League seasons. But in 2025, he developed the sweeper.

“It’s been good, especially last year,” Luzardo said. “It kind of got diminished a little bit today in terms of movement.”

If you were to judge by the results, “diminished” probably wouldn’t be the word you’d use.

Luzardo said the key on Saturday was setting up the sweeper and changeup, more than the movement.

“J.T. [Realmuto] did a great job back there kind of reading swings,” Luzardo said. “And we had a good game plan going in and understanding which guys to maybe attack differently and maybe set that sweeper up a little better. I think getting into better spots in general is really the biggest part.”

Luzardo turned the ball over to the bullpen with a runner on and two outs in the seventh. José Alvarado and Brad Keller combined for 1 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, and closer Jhoan Duran picked up his third save of the season.

For a club missing its ace as Zack Wheeler works his way back from surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, getting such quality out of starters in back-to-back games at Coors Field is a major plus.

“It’s huge. It’s not easy to do,” said Turner, who contributed a great defensive play on a ground ball up the middle to steal a hit in the sixth. “And I don’t think anyone in here takes it for granted to go out there and save your bullpen for two days.”

Luzardo could do no wrong on this night. In the sixth inning, for example, he appeared to have walked Hunter Goodman. But Luzardo asked for an ABS challenge on the pitch that was called ball four, and he won it. On the next pitch, he struck Goodman out with a changeup.

In these early days of the ABS challenge system, catchers have done the vast majority of the challenging on the defensive side, as pitchers tend to “get emotional” and “think everything is a strike,” as Luzardo put it.

But Luzardo said he was “pretty convicted” that it was a strike.

“I told J.T. I’m never going to do it,” he said, smiling. “And then I did it.”

Surely he’ll be forgiven on a night on which he delivered a brilliant performance.