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Jesus Luzardo and Cristopher Sanchez Did Their Jobs
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We’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that the only reason the Phillies even had a chance on Monday night was because of this man:
Six innings, two earned runs on three hits, five strikeouts and a walk. 97.3 on the fastball. He was a little shaky in the first inning, got out of it unscathed, and proceeded to collect himself and mow down the Dodgers, at one point retiring 17 in a row before LA finally got to him in the 7th. Luzardo found his groove and started cruising while the Phillies were swinging, missing, and looking completely feckless at the plate.
So he did his job. If we’re handing out three stars in Game 2, Luzardo gets at least two of them. Nick Castellanos can hold the third star for knocking in a couple of runs, though his base running left a lot to be desired.
The other guy who did his job in this likely-over series was Cristopher Sanchez, who went 5.2 innings in Game 1, allowing two earned runs on four hits while walking two and striking out eight. He left the game with the lead and David Robertson and Matt Strahm couldn’t carry the torch.
It shouldn’t be lost on anybody that the best-performing unit of this postseason is the starting pitching, which happens to be missing its best player. If somebody told you back in April that the Phillies would play the Dodgers in the NLDS without Zack Wheeler, you’d have handed LA the series right then and there. But Sanchez assumed the ace mantle and Luzardo overcame his midseason struggles to give the Phils exactly what they needed in a big spot.
Alas, the bats didn’t hold up their end of the bargain.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com