Before the Los Angeles Dodgers rolled into town for a weekend series at Citizens Bank Park, the Philadelphia Phillies found themselves playing some lesser opponents in their first two series of the new campaign.
The Phillies went 5-1 in their opening two matchups against the Washington Nationals and the Colorado Rockies. The first real test of the new season arrived on Friday as Jesús Luzardo took the mound to take on Shohei Ohtani and the (previously) undefeated Dodgers.
As perhaps the biggest acquisition of the club's offseason, it was highly encouraging to see Luzardo stifle what is widely considered one of the best lineups in all of Major League Baseball.
Jesús Luzardo dominated the Dodgers in his Phillies home debut
If the newly acquired left-hander's first start in which he struck out 11 Nationals hitters in five innings wasn't enough, then Friday night's performance should have convinced everyone around the game that Luzardo can be a major part of this Phillies' rotation.
The 27-year-old absolutely dominated the Dodgers lineup in his first game as a member of the home team in Philadelphia. Luzardo tossed seven scoreless innings, requiring 95 pitches to strike out eight Dodgers batters. He allowed just two hits and issued two walks on his night.
While 11 strikeouts in his Phillies' debut were impressive, his second start may have been one of the most dominant starts in Luzardo's career. According to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, Luzardo was thrilled with his start against the defending World Series Champions: “It was probably one of the most well-executed starts I’ve ever had in my career.”
Jesús Luzardo's 8th K. ✝️🦎
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 5, 2025
With just the crowd noise. pic.twitter.com/NqG4p8ARLq
Luzardo took care of the Dodgers mainly with a mix of his four-seamer, sweeper, and changeup. Adding the sweeper to his arsenal has proven to be highly effective for the newest addition to the starting rotation. In Friday's start, it was his second most used pitch, throwing it 24 times, just like it was in his start in Washington.
The move to Philadelphia looks like it will be beneficial for both the player and the club in the case of Luzardo and the Phillies. No pitcher is perfect, but the start that the former Miami Marlins starter has had to his tenure in Philadelphia has been mostly positive thus far.
After being eliminated early from postseason contention in 2024 and then heading into the 2025 season, the Phillies' starting pitching was always viewed as one of the organization's main strengths. With the addition of Luzardo, that area of the team has only gotten stronger. On Friday night, he proved to the team and the city that he can be a dominant starter in this league and go head-to-head with any lineup in baseball.