Jesús Luzardo dazzled in the second game of the road trip against the Colorado Rockies, striking out 11 in 6.2 innings of one-run ball. It was a strong bounce back start after struggling against Texas to begin the year.
There is one three-pitch sequence that can tell anyone how dialed in he was in Coors.
Jordan Beck’s first at-bat ended in a pop-out to Bryson Stott, seeing one sinker and two sweepers. He swung and missed at the first sweeper and then hit the pop-up.
JT Realmuto and the club did not
think he looked comfortable against the pitch and immediately go back to it to start his second at-bat.
They tested him again on a sweeper, looking for a called strike, but Luzardo missed his spot. It was still a solid pitch (although maybe a bit up if you’re looking for a whiff) and Beck swung over it.
Of the five pitches Beck has seen, four of them have been sweepers and the other was a sinker down and away. It’s now clear that the hitter has the pitch locked into his mind, especially if he sees the ball inside again.
Realmuto knows this and calls for a fastball down and in, perfectly off the expected tunnel of his sweeper that gets chases. Beck was just browsing the store, not looking for anything.
Sometimes it’s cool to show quick sequences because they can capture the kind of rhythm a pitcher and catcher have on a particular night. Everyone was in sync which makes it even harder for a weak Colorado Rockies lineup.
Jonathan Bowlan Tweaks
Jonathan Bowlan has looked like a nice get by the front office. It’s early and the ERA is inflated because of the Nationals but there is a lot to like, especially with what the Phillies have tweaked.
Bowlan is now throwing nearly two ticks harder than in 2025 with the Kansas City Royals, while still maintaining the high ride. 97.5 mph with 17.8 Induced Vertical Break will play like one of the best fastballs in the sport and it has early on. Opponents are hitting just .167 on the offering with a 35.3% whiff rate.
The Phillies also gave Bowlan a sweeper for right handed hitters. Compared to his traditional slider, there is nearly 11 more inches of glove-side movement while maintaining the same drop. At 85 mph with 13.7 inches of glove-side movement and 37 inches of drop, it’s probably the second best pitch in a deep and effective arsenal.
There are now six different pitches in the big right-handers’ arsenal: the four-seam fastball, sinker, slider, sweeper, changeup, and occasional curveball.
The Phillies have been on a big trend of trying to find relievers with already established deep arsenals. Jhoan Duran now throws five different pitches with the addition of his split-change, Brad Keller throws five pitches, Bowlan throws six, and Orion Kerkering is working on a splitter, which would give him four different pitches.
That might be something to watch for in the future when they acquire a right-handed reliever; there have been too many examples over the last year that indicate this is a new part of the front office pitching philosophy.
