Miami, FL.– Jesús Luzardo has been unstoppable since his return from the injured list. Completely healthy and focused, the Venezuelan left-hander is going through one of the best moments of his career. This Wednesday night against the Brewers he set a personal record for innings pitched in a game, with eight. He capped a homestand for the Marlins with four wins in six games. Those led by Skip Schumaker have won three series in a row, with great performances from their starting pitching.
After retiring the first inning in order, the Marlins made the only score of the game with a solo home run by Jazz Chisholm Jr off Freddy Peralta’s deliveries. From then on, Jesús Luzardo had absolute control of the situation.
The Venezuelan left-hander limited the Milwaukee Brewers’ offense to just three hits. He allowed no walks and struck out four hitters. He finished the job with 100 pitches made. He left the table for closer Tanner Scott, who got the final three outs. His ability to throw strikes with his entire repertoire and start at-bats high in the count were fundamental factors for him.
«It helped me a lot to locate the fastball because that was what made the hitters aggressive, then I was able to throw the breakers and the change in the lower part of the zone, it is something that I hope to do with more consistency»he commented.
«Today I was pitching, thinking about different sequences. I don’t think he and Nick Fortes disagreed many times. He attacked the hitters, but he was pitching and he did that very well, it wasn’t just picking it up and throwing it. “That maybe was the old Jesus.”said manager Skip Schumaker.
The advice that Jesús Luzardo has heard has helped him
Although Luzardo has a powerful fastball, in Wednesday’s start he had almost 2 MPH less on average. It wasn’t a problem for him, since he still averaged 94.2 MPH. It was its location that allowed it to be more effective. Having good command of his fastball will make a difference for him throughout his career.
Baseball Savant page by Jesús Luzardo.
«I think mentally I have thought that I don’t need to throw harder. It’s not that I don’t want to, but it’s more important to locate the line. I have spoken with experienced pitchers like Martín Pérez and Sandy Alcántara, as well as many others who have told me that the important thing is to locate the pitches over throwing hard because that is what will allow me to get outs faster.said Jesús Luzardo, pointing out what he has learned from more experienced pitchers.
Conversations with Sandy Alcántara are frequent, due to the time they share daily. While with Martín Pérez it has been since the World Classic and the different occasions in which they have met during the regular season. The Pirates opened 2024 in Miami.
Since returning from the disabled list, Luzardo has a 0.94 ERA in 19.2 IP, with 19 strikeouts and a 0.67 WHIP.
His next start will be on Tuesday, May 28 against the San Diego Padres. Follow coverage by The Extrabase.
2024-05-23 02:14:27
#Jesús #Luzardo #start #career
