WASHINGTON — If Jesús Luzardo starts again for the Phillies this season — suddenly an enormous “if” — it almost certainly won’t be until the playoffs.
Luzardo went on the 15-day injured list, the Phillies announced here Tuesday, because the stiffness in his inflamed left shoulder lingered after three days of not throwing. The All-Star left-hander isn’t eligible to return until the last day of the regular season.
“Definitely concerned just because I want to get back for the team and be ready for the postseason,” said Luzardo, seated in the dugout at Nationals Park. “Level of concern for the future is not that high. I know it’s something that’ll go away with time.
“But right now we don’t have much time.”
It’s a critical, perhaps even fatal blow to the Phillies, whose chance of making a deep run through the postseason likely hinges on their big three starters: Luzardo, Cristopher Sánchez, and Zack Wheeler. Luzardo, in fact, has a 1.93 ERA since May 11, second-lowest in the majors in that span behind the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski (1.76). The Phillies are 18-3 in his last 21 starts.
Luzardo hoped he would be ready to resume throwing Tuesday after getting scratched from a start last weekend in Atlanta. But after two hours of treatment and testing on the team’s day off Monday, neither he nor the Phillies were comfortable moving forward.
“Just knowing where I was at [Monday], we kind of came together, but I really told them I don’t feel comfortable throwing,” Luzardo said. “I know where we’re at. I know it’s an important part of the season. I want to be out there for the guys, but I feel like I’d be doing a disservice to them if I’m not at my best.”
At his best, Luzardo earned Cy Young Award votes, with a 2.87 ERA and a career-high 221 strikeouts in 178⅔ innings. Despite saying he feels “way, way better” than last week, his caution now is a contrast to what he said last Saturday: “If today was Game 7 of the World Series, I’m throwing no matter what.”
“Competitors say things they probably maybe wouldn’t want to say,” interim manager Don Mattingly said Tuesday. “But I definitely think we’re being cautious and we’re being careful. I don’t think anybody wants to send a guy out there that’s not basically 100% ready to compete, and that’s kind of I feel like where we’re at.”
So, what now for the 28-year-old ace?
Luzardo, who signed a five-year, $135 million contract extension in spring training, said he doesn’t plan on getting an injection. He outlined the ideal scenario: “A couple of days of throwing pain-free; getting off the mound once, maybe twice; for sure, I want to touch the mound before getting out there.”
The wild-card series is scheduled to open Sept. 29.
Is Luzardo confident he can be ready?
“Guaranteed,” he said. “I say ‘guaranteed,’ like, in my mind I can say I will [be ready]. I can’t say 100%, ‘Oh yeah, I’m going to start for this team.’ But that’s the goal. And I feel confident that I can make that happen.”
First, the Phillies have to qualify for the playoffs. Going into Tuesday night, they were one-half game behind the Cubs for the top National League wild card and had a 3½-game cushion over the Diamondbacks for the final wild card.
The Phillies hadn’t decided how to fill Luzardo’s turn in the rotation, Mattingly said. They could move up Andrew Painter to start on regular rest Friday night in New York against the Mets. Even so, they will need to piece together at least one bullpen game, probably two.
One possibility: Veteran lefty Nestor Cortes was slated to pitch two innings Tuesday night in triple A. He could be moving closer to joining the Phillies after signing a minor-league contract last month.
For now, the Phillies called up lefty Kyle Backhus to occupy the roster spot vacated by Luzardo.
But the state of Luzardo’s shoulder remains the chief concern.
Luzardo threw a 109-pitch complete-game shutout in his last start, a Labor Day matinee against the Braves. He pushed back on the idea that the shoulder soreness stemmed from that start.
“If I would have thrown six innings in that game, it still would have been the same,” he said. “Throughout the whole game I felt great. Throughout that night [also]. The next day I came out, played catch, felt great. It was something that I think just compounded throughout a couple of starts, and we are where we are at now. But I don’t think the innings or the pitches made a difference that day.
“I think it’s just a long season. Everyone goes through a little something. I feel like everyone is battling here and there. A couple of starts [ago], I was feeling it, but no big deal. And then a couple of starts in a row and then this last start really kind of just, I felt like it blew up on me, and that’s where we’re at.
“If this was March, June, July, no big deal. I’d probably take my time to come back and be ready to go. But such a compressed timetable with the postseason coming up, we’re kind of in a race for it. So, I definitely want to do everything in my power to get back on the field for the guys.”
Extra bases
Kyle Schwarber is the Phillies’ nominee for MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award, presented annually to the player who “best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.” … The Phillies will send nine minor leaguers to the Arizona Fall League, including outfielder Dante Nori and infielder Aroon Escobar. Top prospect Aidan Miller likely will be added to the list, but the Phillies haven’t decided on an offseason plan for him yet. … Minor-league infielder Christian Cairo, designated for assignment last week, was claimed by the Mets. Cairo, 25, batted .227 with four homers and a .676 OPS in 128 games in triple A. … Zack Wheeler (12-5, 3.14 ERA) is scheduled to start at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday against Nationals righty Cade Cavalli (12-5, 3.12).
