Phillies Receive Encouraging Start From Inconsistent Pitcher in Recent Win

The Philadelphia Phillies entered Tuesday’s game against the San Francisco Giants in desperate need of a win, and they were able to come up big for their new manager.

Not long before the start of the game on Tuesday, the Phillies announced that they fired manager Rob Thomson after a 9-19 start to the season. This move didn’t come as too much of a surprise, and they are seeking a spark.

Taking over as the manager is Don Mattingly, who has a lengthy coaching resume at this point. While the team did reach out to Alex Cora, who was recently fired by the Boston Red Sox, he will be taking the rest of the year off.

The timing of the firing makes sense for Philadelphia, who will be entering an easier part of their schedule over the next two weeks. To start, they are hosting the San Francisco Giants for a three-game series. This is the second time that they have played the Giants this year, and their struggles really started, especially offensively, in that series out West.

Fortunately, despite some of the struggles this season with their pitcher, Jesus Luzardo, he was able to deliver a fantastic performance.

Luzardo Comes Up Big

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo throwing the ball — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

It has not been an ideal start to the campaign for the young left-hander, but in an important game for the team, he was able to deliver a great performance and help the team secure the win.

In the victory, Luzardo went seven innings, not allowing a run while striking out eight batters. He was undoubtedly one of the players who figured to improve after a slow start to the season, and he did just that on Tuesday. Furthermore, with him allowing just two hits in the game, that was a season-best for him as well.

Even though he battled through against the Chicago Cubs in his last outing, this was the second-straight game in which he looked much better. Furthermore, he has now seen his ERA come crashing down to 5.50, which is a significant drop from the 7.94 that it was a couple of starts ago.

Going forward, Luzardo is going to be a key piece for the Phillies. If the team is going to turn things around, it will have to start with their rotation. With Zack Wheeler back, the unit is now complete, and it is time to go on a run. Hopefully, the excellent outing from Luzardo will spark the rest of the rotation, and the Phillies can start to stack some wins.

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