Key Phillies Pitcher Building Momentum Following Inconsistent Start

May 2, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting hats and gloves sit on the bench against the Miami Marlins during the fifth inning at loanDepot Park. Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Key Phillies Pitcher Building Momentum Following Inconsistent Start

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated May 26, 2026 1:00 PM ET

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As the Philadelphia Phillies continue their important West Coast trip against the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, they have seen one of their pitchers really start to shine of late.

With a (27-27) record, the Phillies have been playing much better of late following the disappointing start to the year. Philadelphia, being one of the worst teams in baseball to start the campaign, was a major surprise, but they have since been able to record one of the best records in baseball.

The turnaround for the team started with the firing of manager Rob Thomson, which seemingly created a spark. However, there has been a noticeable improvement both for the pitching staff and the lineup. While Philadelphia will still have to make some improvements for their lineup, they have to be pleased with how the team has done of late.

One player who has really seen some improvements of late is starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo. On Monday, he was able to throw six scoreless innings against the Padres and helped the Phillies secure the win in the opener. With another good outing under his belt, the left-hander is starting to find his form.

Luzardo Finding His Groove

The southpaw for the Phillies has had an up-and-down season, but the results of late have been excellent. In his last three starts, Luzardo has totaled 18 innings and has allowed just two runs. With two of those games being scoreless outings, the southpaw is putting his team in a good position to succeed.

With three quality starts in a row, Luzardo has seen his ERA come down to 4.38, which is certainly looking much better. Prior to his three good outings, Luzardo had an ERA of 5.77 and was wildly inconsistent with his performances.

As the Phillies try to be a contender, Luzardo is key for the team. Philadelphia has one of the best one-two punches in the league with Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler, but the team needs their southpaw to be the strong third option.

With Andrew Painter being a rookie and still developing on the job, and Aaron Nola once again not pitching well, Luzardo is the x-factor for the rotation. If he can pitch like the front-end of the rotation starter that he has shown of late, the Phillies are going to be a hard team to beat. Hopefully, the recent stretch will be a sign of things to come for the left-hander.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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