The Philadelphia Phillies won a crucial series against the New York Mets on Sunday night. Taking the series gave the club sole possession of first place in the National League East.
For the season the Phillies are 2-4 against their division rivals. The finale featured a dominating start from left-hander Jesús Luzardo who shut down the Mets' offense to give his team a chance to win the game.
His performance showed that he can be a real weapon against playoff-quality teams.
Jesús Luzardo has had the Mets' number throughout his career, and proved it again on Sunday night
The 27-year-old starter staved off the Mets' offense that put up 11 runs off Phillies' pitching the night before. He pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings while allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out seven hitters. Over the course of the night, Luzardo got 19 whiffs in his 107 pitches.
After the game, Luzardo spoke to the media about how big games like this bring out a bit more in a pitcher. Anthony SanFilippo of On Pattison posted a video in which the lefty talks about his mindset going into the rubber match.
“I’d be lying if I said starts like tonight you don’t bring a little extra knowing what’s on the line,” Luzardo said.
The left-hander's performance against a division foe was highly encouraging. However, this isn't the first time that he has quieted the bats of a postseason-caliber offense.
For his career, Luzardo has faced the Mets nine times. In those games, he has pitched to a 2.63 ERA and they have hit just .187 against him with a .562 OPS over 51 1/3 innings.
Luzardo continued his run of dominance this season against Phillies’ top NL rivals
If that doesn't instill some confidence, perhaps this will. This season, Luzardo has faced the Mets, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs a total of four times. In those outings, he has logged 25 1/3 innings and has allowed just one earned run, per Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The offseason acquisition of Luzardo has looked good so far. Aside from two melt downs against the Milwaukee Brewers and the Toronto Blue Jays, the left-hander has looked in control.
Since those two terrible outings, the Phillies' lefty has pitched 17 2/3 innings and has allowed five earned runs.
It appears that he has made the correct adjustments and has figured things out. The Phillies will rely on Luzardo heading into the summer to continue to give them chances to win baseball games. His track record this season and for his career suggests that he is capable of shutting down high-powered offenses. That is exactly what a club with postseason aspirations wants to see.