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Phillies' Rob Thomson Defends Questionable Decision Amid Luzardo's Outing

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matthew Sullivan | Last updated Jun 1, 2025 1:15 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies suffered an embarrassing defeat, losing 17 to 7 to the Milwaukee Brewers in the team's worst loss of the year. Phillies manager Rob Thomson was in the center of debate, as he left starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo in for debatably longer than he should've.

With Thomson not going to the bullpen, Luzardo's ERA soared to 3.58 after allowing 12 earned runs in 3.1 innings. Before his disastrous outing against the Brewers, Luzardo had a 2.15 ERA across 67 innings. After Luzardo's rough outing, Thomson was asked whether he should've gone to the bullpen.

After the game, Thomson defended himself amid his decision to keep Luzardo in the game despite getting shelled. During Phillies Postgame Live on NBC Sports Philadelphia, Thomson explained his decision to keep Luzardo in.

"Statistics matter," Thomson said. "You want your guys to have great years, but at some point, too, you've got to battle through things, and you've got to do it for your teammates. You've got to strike that balance."

Thomson's decision to keep Luzardo out on the mound amid his worst outing was a questionable one. It might've taken Luzardo out of the Cy Young race, and could jeopardize his All-Star candidacy.

While those individual accolades may not matter to Thomson or even Luzardo, they do play a role in the Phillies fans' minds. Having a player earn such an award is a great source of pride for the fanbase.

Bryce Harper winning the MVP in 2021 was a big deal for the Phillies and their fans. Luzardo was off to an incredible start to 2025, and he was in Cy Young discussions along with fellow Phillies ace Zack Wheeler.

But this outing likely takes Luzardo out of that race. As other starters around the league have put together great seasons, Luzardo's blow-up outing puts him behind in the Cy Young and All-Star rankings.

While Thomson's decision and explanation are best for the team, the fans don't look at it the same way. Having Luzardo knocked out of the Cy Young race after such a strong start, just to save the bullpen in a game in late May, isn't a fair trade-off.

But, Luzardo isn't completely out of things, and if he can have an incredible rest of the year, securing individual accolades is far from off the table. This outing, however, is a tough blow in what was shaping up to be an incredible Phillies debut season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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