Nobody did it better! Jesus Luzardo earned his nickname “Zeus” with his August performance which ended with him being named the NL Pitcher of the Month.
Luzardo, who turns 29 later this month, was part of a team that won 21 games during the month. While a large part of that was a different approach at the plate, Luzardo’s domination was a large part as well. The lefty was 3-1 with a 1.31 ERA in five August starts and struck out 46 batters in 34.1 innings while walking just nine batters. Opponents managed just a .172 average against him and he had a 0.87 WHIP.
Back in May, Cristopher Sanchez was the league’s Pitcher of the Month when he didn’t allow a single run during the month.
Luzardo struggled out of the gate and had a 5.77 ERA in his first eight starts, but some of his pitching metrics pointed to a turnaround. After a pair of tough starts early in May, Luzardo strung together four starts with a combined ERA of 1.54 and had a combined 3.03 ERA for the month. His June ERA fell to 2.97 and he finished July with a 2.59 ERA before his August performance.
With two more road starts likely, Luzardo has yet to be beaten on the road and has the chance to do something that no other MLB pitcher has ever done. He could finish the season undefeated on the road with an ERA under two and record 100-plus strikeouts away from Citizens Bank Park. In 15 road starts so far, Luzardo is 9-0 with a 1.76 ERA and 116 strikeouts. At home, Luzardo is 4-5, 4.52 in 13 starts.
His road performance has started a debate that if the Phillies begin the postseason on the road, Luzardo could get the start in game one of a playoff series. Sanchez meanwhile, is 11-1, 1.68 in 16 home starts and has a 3.68 road ERA in 12 starts.
Sanchez and Luzardo have combined to become just the third left-handed duo to record back-to-back seasons with 200-plus strikeouts each.
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