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| Jesus Luzardo will start Game 1 of the Wild Card Series for the Phillies. | CREDIT: Joe Saunders |
The last time JesĂşs Luzardo started against the Braves, he needed no help finishing the game. On Sept. 7, he threw a two-hit shutout, struck out 12, walked one and beat Atlanta, 1-0.
Three weeks later, the Phillies would welcome even a fraction of that outing.
Luzardo will start Tuesday’s National League Wild Card Series opener at Truist Park, though Don Mattingly was careful with the description Monday. “I should say open,” the manager said. Luzardo has not started since that shutout because of left shoulder inflammation. His only appearance since then was a four-pitch eighth inning against Tampa Bay on Sunday.
The Phillies know he feels healthy enough to take the ball. They do not know how long he can keep it.
“I don’t think we really know what to expect,” Mattingly said. “Been down a while. Pitched an inning, albeit short, yesterday. Yeah, we kind of wanted to get the game off on a good foot, a good note, and see where it goes.”
That makes Game 1 an exercise in reading the moment. Andrew Painter will be available behind Luzardo and could cover multiple innings, but Mattingly has not announced when he would enter or how much he would throw. The rest of the bullpen may have to account for a substantial part of the game against an Atlanta lineup Mattingly called a challenge for anyone trying to get 27 outs.
The version of Luzardo the Braves saw Sept. 7 makes the choice understandable. His shutout was the first complete game of his career. He generated 23 swings and misses and threw 109 pitches. But that performance cannot serve as a workload guide Tuesday. Between those starts, he spent nearly three weeks away from game action, then returned for an inning so quick that it offered little chance to test his stamina.
“We wouldn’t be doing this if he didn’t come out feeling normal,” Mattingly said. “He felt good.”
Sunday answered one question about Luzardo’s shoulder. The first innings Tuesday must answer the next one.
Philadelphia’s options narrowed because it needed its starters simply to reach this series. Zack Wheeler threw six innings in Sunday’s 7-3 win that secured the Phillies’ postseason berth. Aaron Nola pitched during the final weekend. Cristopher Sánchez is expected to start Game 2 on Wednesday, leaving the Phillies to assemble their Game 1 pitching around Luzardo’s uncertain length.
“The bullpen games haven’t went great for us this year, but that’s where we’re at,” Mattingly said. “Obviously what we had to get in and what we had to do with Noles the other day, all that kind of led to what we’re doing tomorrow.”
Nola is working toward a possible Game 3 start. He could be available in relief if the circumstances call for him, though Mattingly did not assign him a Game 1 role. Using him Tuesday would also affect the plan for a deciding game Thursday. Wheeler might become an option by Game 3 as well, depending on how he recovers from Sunday’s outing.
Those possibilities give Mattingly choices. They do not give him a script.
Jonathan Bowlan is on the postseason roster and was available Sunday, Mattingly said. The Phillies considered pitching him in the finale but held off when the mound became wet; Mattingly did not want Bowlan, returning from injury, to risk slipping. He is another arm the manager can consider as the game develops.
Across the field, Chris Sale gives Atlanta a more conventional Game 1 plan. For Philadelphia, the matchup places a premium on each early inning Luzardo can provide. If he works efficiently, Mattingly can preserve Painter and other arms for later. If his outing ends quickly, the Phillies may have to cover most of Tuesday with pitchers whose availability could matter again Wednesday.
That is the series within the series. Sánchez is lined up for Game 2, but a best-of-three matchup offers little opportunity to save a pitcher for a tomorrow that might not arrive. Mattingly must weigh that urgency against the cost of using Nola or extending Painter in the opener.
On Sept. 7, Luzardo took the ball against Atlanta and kept it until the final out. On Tuesday, his assignment begins the same way. How much of the game belongs to him—and what the Phillies must spend once it does not—will be decided on the mound.
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