Zack Wheeler, who everyone has expected to continue his incredible 2020s run, is off to a pedestrian start. 3.73 ERA, 2-1 record, 41 Ks but more middling starts than ever. It is early, and if anyone can balance things out it's him...plus, after last night's start he's finally looking like himself again. But between his shaky first couple starts, Suarez getting hurt and Nola getting lit up every game, there hasn't been a lot starting pitching wise for Phillies fans to hold onto. They had Taijuan Walker for a second but then he regressed.
So it's a good thing that Jesus Luzardo, a guy the Phillies cleverly grabbed from Miami, has been absolutely stellar so far for us.
Luzardo's main issues in his career so far, in Oakland and Miami, have been opportunities and injuries. With the A's, he either was hurt or struggled when he got the ball, hence the trade to Miami. There he had plenty of opportunities but the injuries continued. Now he's in Philly, and they've given him a dedicated rotation spot, not going anywhere. And so far he's been in very good shape, both health-wise and consistency-wise. Through 4 starts, he's 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA, 21 Ks and a 1.071 WHIP. He's been dominant, reliable and very capable in big game situations. This weekend he's gonna face his old team for the first time, and considering the quality of the Marlins' season thus far the odds are looking very good for him.
Let's also make clear that Cristopher Sanchez has also been pretty great right next to him in the rotation. He's 2-0 with a 2.96 ERA and 31 Ks, which was a high bar til Zack Wheeler struck out 13. People worry about this team aging too quickly, and while that's valid, they've got a ton of people to keep the momentum going, and Sanchez and Luzardo are chief among them. Bryson Stott also falls into that category, he's been handy as hell so far, as does Orion Kerkering, who's been one of our best relievers.
But the old standbys are also doing us well at the moment. Bryce Harper is still elite, with 11 RBIs and 5 homers. Kyle Schwarber has 7 homers so far and a .286 average, which is definitely a step up from his usual mark. Even Castellanos is batting around .300. It is worrying that Marsh and Bohm have been terrible so far, but perhaps they're just getting it out of their system. Same with Jordan Romano...I hope.
The Phils have been very good so far, even if they're not overpoweringly good. They managed to keep the Giants at bay for the most part, but dropped a bunch to the Cardinals. The Mets are ahead of the division, and THEY have had no trouble with the Cardinals so far. The Phillies need to catch up and get everyone on the same page as people like Luzardo, or else the worries of many pundits will be proven true.
Coming Tonight: A guy I think could be 2024's answer to Tarik Skubal. He's lurked, he's recovered from an injury, and now he's looking really good.
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