Phillies' Jesus Luzardo sizes up Eduardo Rodriguez, D-backs

The most attractive pitching matchup in the majors is scheduled in Phoenix on Tuesday, when Eduardo Rodriguez of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Jesus Luzardo of the Philadelphia Phillies square off in a battle of left-handers.

You could look it up.

Each is on pace for personal records as the teams meet in the second contest of a three-game series with wild-card implications.

The Phillies (78-60) recorded a 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks (73-66) in the opener on Monday, keeping Philadelphia even with the Chicago Cubs for the top wild-card spot in the National League. The setback dropped Arizona a half-game behind the San Diego Padres for the third and final wild card.

Rodriguez (14-4, 2.50 ERA) has been the Diamondbacks' ace in the best of his three seasons with them after signing a four-year, $80 million free agent deal before the 2024 season.

Luzardo (12-5, 3.09) has lived up the expectations that came with a five-year, $135 million contract extension he signed at the end of spring training.

Both are in the top eight in ERA in the National League, and they rank second and fourth among left-handers. Atlanta's Chris Sale (2.06) and Luzado's teammate Cristopher Sanchez (2.52) round out the top four lefties.

"I feel like the execution's almost gone up to another level for (Luzardo)," Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber told NBC Sports Philadelphia. "He's not just out there trying to feel his way through. I feel like he knows what he wants to do out there, and he's executing it."

Luzardo enters September on pace for a career-low ERA and a career high in strikeouts, and with a little support he could also set a career high in wins. He was 15-7 with a 3.92 ERA and 216 strikeouts a year ago, with a career high in wins.

Luzardo struck out nine the last time out, a 6-0 road victory over Seattle on Wednesday. With 203 strikeouts, he joined Sanchez in an exclusive-to-Philadelphia club.

They are the third pair of left-handers to have successive 200-strikeout seasons with the same team in major league history in what has become a city tradition. Philadelphia A's lefties Rube Waddell and Eddie Plank were the first two to do it in 1904-05 and Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels did it with the Phillies in 2012-13, according to baseball-reference.com.

Luzardo's 1.12 WHIP is the second-best mark of his career. He had a 1.04 WHIP with Miami in 2022, when current Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly was his skipper with the Marlins.

"That was our main thing in Miami, was get him in the strike zone," Mattingly told NBC Sports Philadelphia last week. "Stuff was kind of the same then as it is now.

"Obviously, more experienced, more polished. We knew if we got him in the strike zone, the swing-and-miss would be there. Everything would be there."

Rodriguez has won four straight and seven of his last eight decisions.

"This is the best I felt all year on the mound," he said after a 2-0 home victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, when he gave up two hits and struck out nine in seven innings. "The stuff was great. I feel like everything was working."

Rodriguez refined his approach this season and is pitching more to contact with a five-pitch mix, leading with a four-seamer and a changeup, and results have followed.

Rodriguez's ERA is exactly 1 1/2 runs lower than his career mark of 4.00, and would be almost one run better than his previous best, when he posted a 3.30 ERA while going 13-9 with Detroit in 2023.

Rodriguez is 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA in five career starts against the Phillies, with 40 strikeouts in 29 innings. Bryce Harper is 3-for-12 with a homer against him. Schwarber is 0-for-8.

Luzardo gave up five runs in 4 2/3 innings of a 5-4 home loss to the D-backs on April 10 and is 2-2 with a 5.53 ERA in six career starts against them. Gabriel Moreno is 2-for-6 against him.

--Field Level Media