Phillies turn to Jesús Luzardo in Game 1 despite not knowing ‘what to expect' originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
ATLANTA — Three weeks ago, Jesús Luzardo needed 109 pitches to shut out the Atlanta Braves. On Tuesday, the Phillies won’t know how many they’ll be able to ask of him.
In a best-of-three National League Wild Card Series against Chris Sale and the Braves, Philadelphia has an opportunity to steal Game 1 with Cristopher Sánchez lined up for Game 2 and Aaron Nola working toward a potential Game 3.
But after needing every last game of the regular season to clinch its fifth consecutive postseason berth, the Phillies have had to get creative with their pitching staff.
They arrived at Truist Park for Monday’s workout without an announced Game 1 starter. No pitcher was scheduled to speak afterward, an unusual arrangement on the eve of a postseason series.
Then interim manager Don Mattingly sat down at the podium and delivered the answer everyone had been waiting for.
“Zeus,” he said.
“I should say open,” he quickly clarified.
Luzardo will take the ball for his first start since Sept. 7, when he threw the first complete game of his career against these same Braves. How long he stays on the mound is another question.
“I don’t think we really know what to expect,” Mattingly said. “Been down a while. Pitched an inning, albeit short, yesterday. We kind of wanted to get, hoped to get the game off on a good foot, a good note, and see where it goes.”
Sunday’s appearance gave the Phillies enough reason to believe Luzardo was ready for the assignment, even if it lasted considerably less time than anyone could have anticipated.
The left-hander had been sidelined by shoulder inflammation since his Labor Day shutout and hadn’t faced live hitters in nearly three weeks. The Phillies initially wanted him to throw a simulated game Saturday, but doing so would have made him unavailable for Sunday’s must-win regular-season finale.
Instead, they kept him available out of the bullpen. When Mattingly called on him against Tampa Bay, Luzardo needed just four pitches to retire three hitters.
And according to J.T. Realmuto, those four pitches were quite a contrast to what he’d seen moments earlier.
The catcher was standing in the batting cage preparing for his next at-bat, watching Luzardo warm up on a monitor.
“He didn’t throw a single strike,” Realmuto said Monday. “We were actually talking in the cage as hitters, like, how are we going to get through this? ‘Sus hasn’t thrown a strike yet and he’s warming up.”
Luzardo was still rusty during his warmup pitches on the mound. Then the inning began, and he retired the side so quickly that Realmuto never got a chance to call one of his most effective pitches.
“I wanted to call an 0-0 sweeper just to get one in there and see how it looked,” Realmuto said.
Instead, he started the third hitter with a sinker, expecting to work the sweeper into the at-bat. One pitch later, the inning was over.
“I guess that’s how the game works,” Realmuto said. “His stuff looked good.”
For Realmuto, there had been some initial uncertainty about Luzardo’s recovery. But after the first few days, as the left-hander began reporting steady improvement in the clubhouse, the catcher grew increasingly confident that he’d be ready for the postseason.
The bigger question Sunday was how Luzardo would handle a role he had rarely, if ever, been asked to fill.
“It was more for me less about him coming off the IL,” Realmuto said. “He had never been out of the bullpen before that I know of and hadn’t seen him work in that capacity, and that can be a lot different for starting pitchers. It was definitely encouraging to see how well he threw coming into that spot.”
The Phillies received another encouraging update Monday. Luzardo reported no issues after his appearance, clearing the way for Mattingly to give him the ball against Atlanta.
“We wouldn’t be doing this if he didn’t come out feeling normal,” Mattingly said. “He felt good.”
It’s hardly the way the Phillies envisioned using a pitcher who finished the regular season 14-5 with a 2.85 ERA and 221 strikeouts across 29 starts.
Luzardo’s last full outing was among his finest. He struck out 12 Braves, walked nobody and allowed just two hits in a 1-0 victory at Truist Park. In four starts against Atlanta since joining Philadelphia, he owns a 1.01 ERA, with opponents batting .185.
Under different circumstances, he would have been a candidate to start Game 1 without any uncertainty about his workload. But the Phillies’ difficult final week left them with few conventional options.
Nola started Saturday on two days’ rest, and Zack Wheeler had to pitch six innings Sunday to secure their postseason berth. Mattingly acknowledged that neither development was particularly conducive to lining up a postseason rotation.
“The bullpen games haven’t went great for us this year, but that’s where we’re at,” he said. “Obviously what we had to get in and what we had to do with Noles the other day, all that kind of led to what we’re doing tomorrow.”
Rookie Andrew Painter could play a significant role behind Luzardo.
The right-hander is expected to be available out of the bullpen Tuesday, although the Phillies haven’t committed to a specific plan for the innings after their opener. Mattingly wants to see Atlanta’s lineup before deciding how to arrange his pitchers.
Painter spent the final days of the regular season available in relief as the Phillies tried to clinch, but the club never found an opportunity to use him in that role. He has made two bulk appearances out of the bullpen this season, so entering behind another pitcher wouldn’t be entirely unfamiliar.
His improved command during his second stint in the majors gives the Phillies more confidence in asking him to cover multiple innings, although pitching in his first postseason game presents another challenge.
And with Luzardo’s workload uncertain, Painter could be needed much earlier than a traditional bulk reliever.
“We haven’t sat down and really tried to script it yet,” Mattingly said. “We don’t know what their lineup looks like or anything else, so we’ll see tomorrow.”
The Phillies at least have some clarity beyond the opener. Sánchez is scheduled to start Game 2 on regular rest, while Nola is working toward a potential Game 3. Mattingly also left open the possibility of using Wheeler in a deciding game, depending on how he recovers from Sunday’s outing.
But getting through Tuesday won’t be straightforward, particularly against a Braves lineup that has seen plenty of Philadelphia’s pitching staff.
Realmuto acknowledged that familiarity creates an additional challenge for a catcher trying to guide his pitchers through a postseason game.
“There’s almost, feels like there’s a little more of the cat-and-mouse game of we can’t do the same things we’ve done all season,” he said. “Even if they’ve worked, there’s times you’ve got to go away from things.”
That familiarity works both ways, though. Luzardo’s success against Atlanta is well documented, and the Phillies have seen Sale four times this season. They know what they’re facing, even if they’re still figuring out exactly how they’ll approach it.
Luzardo’s availability wasn’t the only roster question Philadelphia resolved Monday.
Mattingly confirmed that Luis Arraez will not be on the Wild Card roster. The infielder has continued to make progress from the left ankle sprain he suffered Thursday, but he attempted to take swings Monday and was unable to do so.
Otto Kemp will take his place, and the Phillies will carry three catchers in Realmuto, Garrett Stubbs and Rafael Marchán. Mattingly pointed to Stubbs’ versatility as one benefit of that arrangement, noting that he can pinch-run and play several positions if needed.
Jonathan Bowlan will also be on the roster after recovering from a groin injury. The Phillies considered using him during Sunday’s clincher but held off because of the wet mound at Citizens Bank Park, which Mattingly feared could create unnecessary risk for a pitcher returning from that particular injury.
Bowlan’s return gives Philadelphia another option in the middle and late innings. How those options fit together will depend largely on what Luzardo can provide at the beginning of the game.
Mattingly isn’t promising a traditional start, and Sunday offered only a brief look at a pitcher who hasn’t worked a full game in three weeks. But Luzardo got through his appearance, felt good the following day and is ready to take the mound against the last team he faced before his injury.
“This is how we got here,” Mattingly said. “We’re walking into it like this. We’re going to show up and play, and we’ll see where it goes.”
