Jesús Luzardo had one of the better springs out of the Miami Marlins’ pitching staff. The only question would be whether his improved fastball and command would follow him into the regular season.
Tuesday night’s outing against the Los Angeles Angels answered that question: Yes. Yes, it followed him.
The 24-year-old recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts in five innings in a 4-3 loss. Those 12 strikeouts were also the most ever by a Marlins pitcher in an outing of five innings or fewer. He allowed just one run.
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas graduate was one of the bigger question marks of the Miami Marlins’ rotation entering the season.