Jesus Luzardo and Tyler Mahle have been two of the best pitchers in baseball over the last month, making for a tremendous pitching matchup in today’s game between the Phillies and Braves. However, the Phils will now be going with a bullpen game, as manager Don Mattingly told the media last night that Luzardo has been scratched due to some stiffness in the left-hander’s throwing shoulder.
It doesn’t appear the issue is too serious, and Mattingly said that Luzardo himself felt he could pitch. But, Luzardo had problems “getting loose” during a light bullpen session on Friday, and he is “still not quite there,” Mattingly told the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Lochlahn March and other reporters. “We feel like it’s safer to be careful with him and don’t want this to linger. So it’s one of the things we want to try to take care of and just go from there,” Mattingly said.
The plan is for Luzardo to make his next start in a few days’ time, and Monday’s off-day provides the southpaw with a bit more rest. The Phillies then head to Washington for a brief two-game series with the Nationals before beginning a four-game series with the Mets on Thursday.
Luzardo has been a workhorse this season, ranking fourth in MLB in innings pitched (178 2/3) and third in pitches thrown (2870). His three highest pitch counts have come within his last five starts, including Luzardo’s 109 pitches in last Monday’s two-hit, complete game shutout against the Braves.
Given the heavy workload and Luzardo’s importance to the Phillies’ postseason hopes, it isn’t surprising that the club is being as cautious as possible. While Saturday’s game carries import within the NL East race, Philadelphia is five games back of Atlanta and the Braves have already clinched the season series, so the Phillies’ chances of a third straight division title are looking pretty slim.
Simply getting into the playoffs is also not a sure thing, as some recent slumps from both the Phillies and Cubs have added more intrigued to the NL wild card race. Chicago and Philadelphia have identical 82-66 records, with the Cubs holding the tiebreaker for the top wild card slot. The Padres are 2.5 games behind and in the third wild card slot, with the Diamondbacks a mere half-game behind San Diego.
Now in his second season in Philadelphia, Luzardo has followed up his 5.4 fWAR in 2025 with 5.5 fWAR over his first 178 2/3 frames of 2026. The left-hander has a 2.87 ERA and a bevy of excellent secondary metrics, and Luzardo’s excellence was recognized with his first career All-Star nod. Luzardo would’ve been a free agent this offseason if the Phils hadn’t signed him to a five-year, $135MM extension in March, which now looks like a very shrewd move on the team’s part.
