Reason for optimism: Jesús Luzardo gets positive MRI results after scratch originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
ATLANTA — After the Phillies scratched Jesús Luzardo on Friday night from his scheduled Saturday start because of shoulder stiffness, their left-hander did not sound too concerned.
Luzardo underwent an MRI Friday night after the discomfort that had been bothering him worsened in the days following his complete game against the Braves.
“I don’t know exactly the medical terms, but it was a positive outcome,” Luzardo said before Saturday’s contest. “No structural damage, really. Nothing new.”
Instead, Luzardo said the issue is inflammation, which the Phillies believe is behind the stiffness and discomfort.
Don Mattingly came away encouraged, too.
“It was kind of what we thought,” Mattingly said. “We didn’t feel like there was anything truly going on.”
Luzardo had been scheduled to make his 30th start of the season Saturday, five days after throwing the first complete game of his career.
He held Atlanta scoreless on two hits with 12 strikeouts over nine innings Monday at Citizens Bank Park, needing 109 pitches in a 1-0 win.
The shoulder did not bother him during that start.
“During the game, I felt great,” Luzardo said. “Even at the end of the night, even the next day, I felt pretty good. And then it was just kind of the days after that that didn’t feel too good.”
Luzardo said he had been dealing with some soreness beforehand, but it became more noticeable as the week went on.
“It definitely got worse after this last start, just progressively throughout the five days,” he said.
Whether the nine-inning workload contributed is difficult to know.
“If you ask me, I think it’s a coincidence,” Luzardo said. “Especially because I felt good in the moment. I honestly don’t know. Maybe it didn’t help. But again, it’s September.”
Luzardo said he feels better than he did two days ago, although the shoulder has fluctuated from day to day. He has not received an injection and is taking anti-inflammatory medication.
For now, he plans to take a couple days off from throwing. With the Phillies also off Monday, there is no urgency to establish exactly when he’ll take the ball again.
“I think the next thing for us is just listen to his body,” Mattingly said. “It’s gonna tell us what to do.”
Mattingly said trying to determine now whether Luzardo will make his next turn or need additional time would be premature.
A return sometime next week remains possible.
Luzardo certainly wants it to be.
“If it was up to me, I would have pitched today,” he said. “[That] probably wouldn’t have been the smartest decision. So it’s always nice to have someone to kind of pull me back.”
That was essentially the conversation between Luzardo and the Phillies before they scratched him. He believed he could take the ball. The team preferred not to risk turning the issue into something that could linger into October.
Asked how differently he would approach it if the stakes were higher, Luzardo didn’t hesitate.
“If today was Game 7 of the World Series, I’m throwing no matter what,” he said. “But I think to get to that point, I’d probably better be smart now than it is to throw today and then see my body get worse throughout the next couple weeks.”
That’s where both sides seem to be.
There is optimism that this won’t become a long-term issue, but no reason to force Luzardo back onto the mound before his shoulder tells them he’s ready.
“I’m more frustrated that it’s happening at the time that it’s happening,” Luzardo said. “I know that it’s something that I’m not worried about, like, my future and my long term.”
For a Phillies team closing in on the postseason, that’s the important distinction.
The timing frustrates Luzardo.
The MRI results don’t scare him.
