Jesús Luzardo says he’s not tipping his pitches, will ‘dive deeper’ on issues out of stretch
PHILADELPHIA — Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo hasn’t quite figured out what his problem with runners on base has been. He just knows what it hasn’t been.
The left-hander gave up nine runs (eight earned) in 5 1/3 innings on Wednesday night, allowing 12 base hits in an 11-2 blowout loss to the Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park. He struggled with a parade of baserunners out of the stretch. Asked if Luzardo might have been tipping his pitches, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said the team hadn’t identified anything yet but would need to “take a look at it.”
Back in the clubhouse, Luzardo quickly shot down the notion.
“I’m not tipping,” Luzardo said. “We work tirelessly to make sure (of) that. All my throws in between starts are out of the stretch, and we continue to work at that. Obviously, (pitching with runners on base is) something that is kind of biting me, so it’s something that we got to fix ASAP.”
Luzardo now has a 7.94 ERA through his first four starts after signing a lucrative five-year contract extension during spring training. He has a 1.46 WHIP in 22 2/3 innings, and hitters are batting .301 against him.
With the bases empty, opposing batters are hitting .220 against Luzardo this year. He’s not surrendered a home run from the windup. With no runners on base, opponents are hitting .441 off Luzardo. All three of the homers he’s given up have come out of the stretch. It makes sense for a pitcher to be better without traffic, but Luzardo has been particularly ineffective while dealing with baserunners.
While in the midst of a pair of blowout starts last season, there was thought that Luzardo was tipping his pitches. He experimented with using a bigger glove, but it didn’t last. He developed a meticulous routine to hide and mask each of his different pitches. That’s why he’s confident that it isn’t an issue now.
So what actually is the problem?
“It’s not tipping, so it’s got to be something else,” Luzardo said, “whether it’s usage or — I don’t know. I don’t want to speculate. I kind of want to dive deeper into it.”
The lefty had a 3.92 ERA in 32 starts last season. He flashed elite upside for stretches — long ones, too — but these blowup outings prevented his overall numbers from looking as good as they could’ve been.
“Last year I dealt with the same thing,” Luzardo said. “I had a couple bad starts back to back. I just have to right the ship. And the good thing is it’s early in the season, so we got a long way to go.”
Luzardo is hardly the only underperforming member of the Phillies right now. The team is 8-10 and has lost three series in a row after dropping two of three games to Chicago. The defense has not been strong, and the offense has continued to be inconsistent.
The Phillies have an off day Thursday before starting a three-game series against the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves in South Philadelphia.
“We’re going through a tough time right now, in all phases of the game,” Thomson said. “I don’t think that’s any secret. But we’re going to get better. We’re a good club, and it’s going to get there.”