Lefty Jesus Luzardo signed a massive $135 million contract extension with the Philadelphia Phillies over the winter, and promptly started the 2026 season by falling completely flat on his face. He yielded 6 ER in his first start of the year, and his first four starts of the year featured a startling line: 22.2 IP, 28 H, 21 R (20 ER), good for a terribly unsightly 7.94 ERA.
Within that, though, sat an impressive 30/5 strikeout to walk ratio, and that fueled the 2.85 FIP he recorded through those surface struggles.
I cite that as a reference point as that encompassed the bad part of his year. Four starts of 2.85 FIP ball, and regression came coming for him quickly. In the 14 games he has started since that bad luck beginning to his extension, he’s been simply brilliant. Across 80.2 IP, he’s pitched to a 2.57 ERA and 2.99 FIP, and he’s struck out 95 more batters in that time.
In other words, he looks exactly like the pitcher who warranted said extension when the Phillies front office sent the contract his way.
He’ll start against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday opposite Brady Singer, who is desperately trying to pitch his way into a contract a third as valuable as Luzardo’s when he reaches free agency this winter. Singer got off to a much more prolonged struggle to begin 2026, but to his credit he has pitched to a 3.16 ERA with a 35/14 K/BB over his last 6 starts (even if the Reds have gone just 1-5 in those games).
It’s a 7:10 PM ET start time for this series finale. Turn on, tune in, drop out.
