Luzardo threw just four pitches in Sunday's clinching victory over Tampa Bay—his first appearance in three weeks. The Phillies had no choice. Their top two starters were unavailable: Zack Wheeler pitched Sunday in a must-win regular-season finale, and Aaron Nola started on short rest Saturday night. Cristopher Sánchez gets Game 2 on normal rest.
The Phillies are betting Luzardo's stuff is still there. He finished the regular season with a 2.86 ERA, 221 strikeouts, and a 1.074 WHIP—all career highs. Manager Don Mattingly said of his expectations: "I don't think we really know what to expect." Luzardo likely won't pitch deep into the game given his inactivity, but catcher J.T. Realmuto said after Sunday's appearance that his stuff looked good.
The Phillies have been here before. In 2023, they opened a playoff series at Atlanta with finesse lefty Ranger Suárez when their best pitchers were unavailable. That gambit worked: Suárez went through the order 1½ times in a 3-0 victory, backed by hard-throwing relievers. The Phillies allowed 30 runs in three games without Luzardo this season, making his return a calculated risk worth taking against Atlanta's lineup.
Game 1 starts Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, with Chris Sale starting for the Braves.