On Saturday, Jesús Luzardo suffered his first defeat in spectacular way against the Milwaukee Brewers, pitching just 3 1/3 innings and giving up a career-high 12 hits, 3 walks, and 12 earned runs. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Luzardo had only given up 16 runs overall in his first 11 starts prior to Saturday’s game. His early Cy Young-caliber season was put on hold as his impressive 2.15 ERA skyrocketed to 3.58.
Despite their best efforts, the Philadelphia Phillies lost that game 17–7. Even with the blow-up, it was clear that the Phillies’ bullpen was unprepared to finish the game as Luzardo exited before the fifth inning for the first time this season. No fan wanted Luzardo to get pounded around for three innings, but it may have simply put a fire in the organization to really do something to solve the situation.
Jesús Luzardo’s early departure brought the focus on the Phillies bullpen
The next day, Phillies manager Rob Thomson declared that Taijuan Walker would return to the bullpen and Mick Abel would return to the rotation in Toronto. According to Paul Casella of MLB.com, it feels like the best roster move available at the moment, even though it’s not the big one Phillies supporters were hoping for throughout the offseason.
Internal changes will have to do in place of a big signing months before the trade deadline. Not every start will be six scoreless innings of labor, but the Phillies’ starting rotation has remained one of the finest in baseball. After losing José Alvarado for 80 games and the postseason, the bullpen was already depleted at the beginning of the season. We’ll accept the short-term solution for the time being even if they might not be bringing in a big name just yet.
On May 18, Abel made his Major League Baseball debut against the sensational Paul Skenes. He won a 1-0 shutout, pitching six spotless innings with five hits, no walks, and nine strikeouts. Abel was given another start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, even though it was thought of as a spot start.
Despite his tumultuous connection with the Phillies, Walker has shown his value this season by alternating between the bullpen and rotation. He has a 3.53 ERA in 10 games and a 2-4 record right now. However, relief is where Walker has truly excelled. He has a 3.00 ERA, nine strikeouts, and an opponent batting average of.182 after pitching six innings.
