Jesus Luzardo Will Be Key Pitcher for Phillies in Playoffs Despite Recent Struggles

Jesus Luzardo looks like a completely different player right now compared to how he started this season for the Philadelphia Phillies.

At one point, he was an NL Cy Young candidate.

Now, he's getting booed off the mound.

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Luzardo is a bit of a conundrum.

Even in the middle of games he goes from being a shutdown ace to giving up runs in a hurry, something that was on full display against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday when he began the game with three straight three up, three down innings before giving up six runs in the top of the fifth.

That implosion was shocking to see from somone who had cruised through his outing.

While fans might be frustrated with Luzardo right now, he is going to have a role on this team for the rest of the year and during the playoffs.

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The Phillies will likely move him into a relief role in October, using his high-octane fastball and devastating sweeper to get batters out in short bursts.

Luzardo has proven to be effective in those types of situations, but what he is lacking right now is the ability to go deep into games as a starting pitcher.

Philadelphia won't need that during the playoffs with Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez, Ranger Suarez and probably Aaron Nola being the four starters. So even though Luzardo is going through some extended problems right now, that doesn't mean he can't be an effective arm for them.

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The lefty's strikeout rate of 27.7% is in the 83rd percentile. His whiff rate of 30.5% is in the 84th percentile. His fastball velocity of 96.4 mph is in the 82nd percentile.

Those are numbers that indicate he can come out of the bullpen and shutdown a lineup, especially when looking at his expected ERA of 3.76 and FIP of 3.01 that are much lower than his actual ERA of 4.58.

So, while Luzardo has struggled during the summer months after an incredible start to his tenure, he is going to be a key piece to the puzzle when the games mean more in the playoffs, with him potentially having a starring role out of the bullpen where he's getting key outs.

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