Jesus Luzardo Legitimizes All-Star Candidacy Dominating Reds

The Cincinnati Reds had no answer for Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Jesus Luzardo.

Jul 4, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo (44) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the third inning at Kauffman Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies split the first two games of their three-game set on the road against the Cincinnati Reds.

In Game 1, they were victorious behind a dominant outing from Zack Wheeler, winning 4-1. Game 2 didn’t go as well, with Alan Rangel called up to make the start. He started strong enough, but crumbled, and the Phillies lost 11-5.

Looking to win the rubber match, it was Jesus Luzardo who would be taking the ball. He was opposed by Brady Singer, and a good old-fashioned pitcher’s duel ensued, with Philadelphia coming out ahead in a 1-0 victory.

Luzardo, who was informed earlier in the week that he would be a replacement on the National League All-Star Team, pitched a gem. Anyone who had second thoughts about him being an All-Star had their concerns put to bed with this performance.

Jesus Luzardo was dealing against Reds

Jun 28, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo (44) pitches against the New York Mets during the first inning at Citi Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The talented lefty was virtually unhittable all evening. He allowed only two hits and issued two walks across his seven shutout innings, with the only other base runner being when he hit Spencer Steer with a pitch.

Noelvi Marte, who drew a walk with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, was the only player to get beyond first base with Luzardo on the mound. He moved to second after Edwin Arroyo grounded out to second baseman Bryson Stotto and to third when TJ Friedl followed up with a single.

Jesús Luzardo racks up his 11th strikeout of the night 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/fqZyVpcb9I

— MLB (@MLB) July 10, 2026

Marte didn’t come around to score, as Luzardo got Elly De La Cruz to ground into a force out to shortstop Trea Turner.

The most impressive part about Luzardo’s outing was how efficient he was. He racked up 11 strikeouts and needed only 96 pitches to get through his seven shutout innings. 62 of those pitches were for strikes.

This is the fourth time this season that he has struck out double-digit batters in a single game, giving him 136 on the season in 110.1 innings pitched. His ERA is down to 3.51, a truly impressive feat when taking into consideration that his ERA was at 5.07 after nine starts, but has steadily been on the decline since.

Jesús Luzardo spins 7 scoreless innings in an All-Star-caliber outing 🤩 pic.twitter.com/RQ2BobRn46

— MLB (@MLB) July 10, 2026

Luzardo was worthy of the All-Star nod that he received, joining Cristopher Sanchez and Jhoan Duran as Phillies pitchers on the NL All-Star Team staff.

Curiously missing is Zack Wheeler, who was also worthy of being selected and is the biggest snub on either team this year. He and his agent have both voiced their displeasure at his absence, as he is criminally underrated compared to his peers.