The Phillies took a hit to their rotation on Sept. 15, placing Jesus Luzardo on the 15-day injured list with a sore left shoulder. The move was backdated to Sept. 12, which officially shuts him down for the regular season and leaves his status for the NL Wild Card Series hanging in the balance.
That series runs from Sept. 28-30, and Luzardo would normally be a major part of the Phillies’ plans in a best-of-3 setting. He’s 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA, and Philadelphia is still staring up at some steep odds if it wants to catch the top of the National League.
The Phillies entered play on Sept. 15 in second place in the NL Wild Card race, 3 ½ games ahead of the fourth-place Arizona Diamondbacks with 12 games left. They were also 4 ½ games behind the Braves in the N.L.
East and 8 games back of the Dodgers, meaning a bye into the NLDS would require passing both.
Luzardo’s injury comes after a heavy workload and a big outing. He threw a complete game, two-hit shutout on Sept. 7 against the Atlanta Braves, the first complete game of his career, and needed 109 pitches to get it done. Before his scheduled start on Sept. 12 against Atlanta, he said he was sore and was scratched.
The left-hander has been one of the best arms in the league this season. He was named the NL Pitcher of the Month for August and has struck out 221 batters in 178 2/3 innings. Along with Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler, he gives the Phillies what might be the best starting trio in baseball.
With Luzardo out, Aaron Nola and rookie Andrew Painter move into the No. 3 and No. 4 spots in the rotation. Philadelphia may also be able to get through the rest of the season using a bullpen game for the No. 5 spot.
To fill Luzardo’s roster spot, the Phillies recalled right-handed pitcher Grant Holman from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Holman was claimed off waivers from the Tigers in May and was one of the relievers used when Luzardo was replaced on Sept.
- In that 12-2 loss to the Braves, he worked one-third of an inning and allowed five runs, all unearned.
Holman has made 41 major league appearances in his career, including two starts, and owns a 4.62 ERA.
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Phillies Just Lost A Depth Piece To A Rival For Nothing
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Phillies Are Already Second Guessing One Bullpen Deadline Decision
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Relief markets are always part performance, part timing, and the Phillies are already facing the sort of hindsight that comes with every bullpen deal. Erik Miller, Luke Weaver and Tyler Wells all drew attention as alternatives because they were available and pitching well this season, which only sharpens the questions around Philadelphias choice. The season is still unfolding, but the early returns have made this one deadline call look far less certain than it did on paper. [Read more 🡒]