Phillies’ Jesús Luzardo ‘is one of the best things you can watch’ with shutout, ace-level dominance in second half

PHILADELPHIA — The ball jumped off Kyle Schwarber‘s bat, leaving Jesús Luzardo in the first-base dugout at Citizens Bank Park with only one more thought. The high-octane left-hander, in the midst of perhaps the best stretch of his career, had cruised through eight scoreless innings against the Atlanta Braves. So when the Phillies slugger launched a second-deck home run in the bottom of the eighth to put the team on the board, the starting pitcher knew what he had to do.

“Go get a shutdown inning,” Luzardo said.

The announced crowd of 41,820 rose to its feet as Luzardo trotted out for the ninth inning, something he had never done before. Meek Mill‘s “Dreams and Nightmares” blared over the speakers as he warmed up. It was a big moment for Luzardo, a fiery pitcher who’s worn his emotions on his sleeve on the field at times. But he kept his composure to seal the victory.

Luzardo struck out 12 batters in a two-hit shutout as the Phillies beat the Braves 1-0 on Monday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, stranding a runner on base in the top of the ninth in his first career complete game. He threw 109 pitches in a lightning-quick matchup that lasted one hour, 51 minutes, the Phillies’ shortest nine-inning game since 1989. With the club in need of a timely performance versus a National League East rival, Luzardo delivered to continue a dominant second half.

“I knew we had to go out and attack,” Luzardo said of the ninth inning.”I didn’t have too many pitches left. But for sure, you could feel the adrenaline pumping through.”

Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said he did not have a consideration other than sending Luzardo back out for the ninth. He pounded the strike zone and was in control. Luzardo deserved a chance to finish what he started.

“It felt like it was his game,” Mattingly said. “In a way, to put that in somebody else’s hands didn’t seem (right).”

As left-hander José Alvarado and righty Jonathan Bowlan tossed in the bullpen, Luzardo got to work. Ha-Seong Kim hit a flyout to center field to begin the inning. That brought up Ronald Acuña Jr., the former NL MVP who homered twice in the four-game series. Luzardo issued his first walk of the game.

Left-handed hitter Drake Baldwin, the No. 2 hitter, followed. If Luzardo had walked him, Mattingly might have had to pull the plug. “That’s a tougher decision,” Mattingly said, “probably an unpopular one.” But Luzardo dialed in and struck Baldwin out looking, freezing him with a 3-2 sinker at the top of the zone. Ozzie Albies skied a ball to left field to end the game.

In four games this holiday weekend, the Phillies and Braves split. Atlanta still leads the division by four games. But after Philadelphia squandered a late lead on Sunday, Luzardo made sure that even one run was enough a day later.

“It feels great,” Luzardo said. “I think everyone dreams about being a guy that your team relies on, and I think we all are those guys as a starting staff and as a bullpen. But just going out there when — I don’t want to call it a must-win — but definitely a big win, it feels good.”

Following his brilliant outing, Luzardo now has a 2.87 ERA in 29 starts this season. He’s tied for third in the big leagues with 221 strikeouts and sits at third in innings with 178 2/3. Since the All-Star break, Luzardo has a 1.84 ERA in 10 starts. On a team with two established aces in Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler, Luzardo has been throwing the ball better than anyone.

The tools have always been there. Just ask Mattingly, who managed Luzardo in 2021 and 2022. Luzardo had flashes back then. But he did not throw the ball over the plate enough, and he struggled to remain durable. Even last year, when he took a huge step forward in his first season with the Phillies, there were more blowup starts and inconsistencies. He seems like he’s putting it all together in 2026.

“He always looked like this,” Mattingly said. “It was just not enough strikes. And today … first-pitch strikes, just in the zone all day, forcing them to swing the bat, then having a combination of the sweeper with the change and the fastball. He’s just different from the standpoint of just being able to power in the zone with all his pitches.”

Phillies second baseman Luis Arraez, who played with Luzardo on the Marlins and has been reunited with him since the trade deadline, has also seen the rapid development. The two are friends. Arraez attended Luzardo’s offseason wedding in Italy. He’s been glad to see Luzardo pitch at this level — especially from his view in the infield.

“He’s one of the best pitchers in the league,” Arraez said. “I’ve faced him a couple times, and he’s way different. He controls his pitches right now, and he competes. He always competes, and I’m really happy for him.”

As Arraez noted, the Phillies signed Luzardo to a five-year, $135-million contract extension during spring training. It was a bet that he could continue to grow as a pitcher. At this rate, it seems like it could be a bargain for his production.

“That’s why Philadelphia paid him,” Arraez said, “because he deserves it. He works hard. He respects the game. He competes every day. I mean, watching Luzardo pitch is one of the best things you can watch.”