PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies have a week to make the trades they need to improve their World Series chances.
They need help in a few places.
The rotation isn’t a focus as the July 31 Trade Deadline approaches. The Phillies have the best rotation in baseball. Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez are the game’s best 1-2 punch. Ranger Suárez has been mostly fantastic.
But then there is No. 4 starter Jesús Luzardo. He looked like a NL Cy Young candidate through his first 11 starts (8-3, 2.15 ERA), just like he did through four no-hit innings in Wednesday night’s 9-8 loss to the Red Sox in 11 innings at Citizens Bank Park. But then he fell apart in the fifth, mirroring the struggles in his last 10 starts (3-5, 8.04 ERA).
It’s an issue.
“It’s unacceptable,” Luzardo said.
The Phils acquired Luzardo in the offseason to provide quality and depth to the rotation. But looking ahead, it’s a growing concern because the Phillies will move one of their starters into a beleaguered bullpen during the postseason.
Luzardo is perhaps the most ideal candidate because of his stuff, but he has struggled to pitch out of the stretch.
• With bases empty/windup this season: .255/.310/.346 (4.14 strikeout-to-walk ratio).
• With runners on base/stretch: .291/.367/.467 (2.23 strikeout-to-walk ratio).
“Clearly, you know, it’s not working,” Luzardo said. “So, working tirelessly at what we’ve got to do to fix it. It’s been over a month now. The first [11] starts were incredible in the sense that there was never a problem. And then now, the last, whatever it is, it's always been an issue. So out of the windup, clearly isn't the problem. It's when we get in the stretch. So I feel like other teams know that.”
Luzardo’s fifth-inning collapse prevented the Phillies’ first three-game winning streak since June 18-20. It was the Phils’ first loss in a game they homered five or more times since June 10, 2019.
It went fast. Luzardo retired the first nine batters he faced on Wednesday. He struck out six in four innings -- all on sweepers. But he allowed a leadoff double in the fifth to Masataka Yoshida, then walked Ceddanna Rafaela.
He retired the next two batters he faced. He got 1-2 on Marcelo Mayer, but walked him to load the bases.
Luzardo then got Rob Refsnyder to pop up a 2-0 fastball behind home plate.
It should have ended the inning, but J.T. Realmuto, Bryce Harper and Luzardo never picked up the ball in the twilight sky. It fell about 10 feet behind Realmuto, who had been frantically scanning the sky for the ball near the Phillies’ dugout.
“That’s not on J.T. at all,” Luzardo said. “I walked four guys in that inning.”
Refsnyder walked to score Boston’s first run.
Luzardo walked Jarren Duran on four pitches to cut the Phillies’ lead to 5-2. The Phillies’ infield met on the mound to give Jordan Romano an opportunity to warm up.
Why didn’t Romano get going after the walk to Refsnyder?
“I wanted him ready for [Trevor] Story,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “Should have gotten him up a little bit earlier, so that’s on me.”
Romano was about six or seven warmup pitches in when Romy Gonzalez crushed a 1-1 changeup into the left-center-field seats for a grand slam, giving Boston an improbable 6-5 lead.
“I thought it was the right pitch,” Luzardo said. “Just pulled it a little bit. If it’s three inches to the left it’s maybe, you know, it’s not … that’s not what happens. But this game is not a what if? It just needs to be better.”
Fans booed.
They booed again when the inning ended.
It was the 13th time since at least 1901 that a Phillies pitcher had allowed six or more runs on two or fewer hits. Elvis Araujo (six runs, one hit) did it as a reliever on Aug. 16, 2016. Tyler Green (six runs, two hits) last did it as a starter on April 16, 1998.
Luzardo has a 4.58 ERA in 21 starts. The Phils have bigger issues than him. They need bullpen help. They need a bat.
Luzardo could help the bullpen issue. But if he can’t pitch out of the bullpen, the Phillies will have to turn elsewhere. It’s not ideal. They got David Robertson earlier this week, but they need more. They will try to acquire another reliever before the Deadline.
“We’re still grinding through it,” Thomson said. “When you think you’ve got something fixed, it might be something different.”