Luzardo didn't factor in the decision Tuesday in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series against Atlanta. He gave up a run on three hits and one walk while striking out six across five innings.
Luzardo fired one scoreless inning out of the bullpen Sunday versus the Rays as he returned to a big-league mound after missing most of September due to shoulder inflammation, so it was quite impressive to see him in such strong form Tuesday while making his first start in three weeks. The left-hander threw 77 pitches (48 strikes) and generated 11 whiffs in what was the best playoff start of his big-league career. Luzardo closed the regular season with a 2.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 221:52 K:BB across 179.2 innings. The Phillies will need to win the next two games for him to make another start this year.