The Philadelphia Phillies were reeling earlier in the week after the crushing news about ace Zack Wheeler. The starting rotation needed a boost of confidence after losing one of the best arms in the sport, and left-hander Jesús Luzardo delivered that in spades last Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners. It's the version of Luzardo that the Phillies will certainly need over the next couple of months.
After excellent outings from Ranger Suárez and Cristopher Sánchez earlier in the series, Luzardo followed that up with one of his best outings of the season. He went out to secure a three-game sweep of the playoff hopeful Mariners and went six innings while allowing just three hits, one run and striking out a season-high 12 batters.