Padres have golden opportunity to chase down Phillies after Jesús Luzardo injury blow

The Phillies made the Padres wear all six head-to-head meetings this season. It’s an embarrassment that can’t be erased this season, but it can still deliver a response that matters more. They could still finish above them in the standings. Entering Thursday, the Padres were 83-69, one game behind the 84-68 Phillies and 1.5 behind the 85-68 Cubs. The Friars had won nine of its previous 10 games, turning what looked like a fight for the final NL Wild Card into a legitimate run at better postseason positioning.

Philadelphia owns the tiebreaker after sweeping the season series, so the Padres pulling even isn’t an option. So they must treat the one-game deficit as if it’s two since they must pass them outright. Jesús Luzardo’s injured shoulder just made that possibility more realistic.

Luzardo’s absence rips a hole in the Phillies’ rotation

Luzardo is a front-line starter who almost undersells what the team is losing. The lefty is 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA and 221 strikeouts across 178 2/3 innings. He has posted a 1.93 ERA over his last 21 starts, with the Phillies going 18-3 in those games.

His last appearance was a two-hit shutout against Atlanta. He landed on the IL after the inflammation in his left shoulder failed to improve enough for him to resume throwing. An MRI showed no structural damage, and he says the shoulder feels considerably better. However, that’s not the same as being ready to pitch.

For practical purposes, Luzardo’s regular season is likely over. He’s eligible to return for Game 162, but a brief appearance that day would be the best-case exception. Otherwise, his next time facing hitters could arrive in a playoff game after roughly three weeks away from a major league mound.

Luzardo says he is “fully confident” he will be ready because of course he is. A pitcher of his caliber, confidence comes standard. His body gets the final vote. Even Luzardo acknowledged that the layoff could leave him rusty. Philly now has to cover his rotation spot with at least one bullpen game and possibly two. That is a real strain with the Brewers and Rays, the owners of 95 and 92 wins entering Thursday, looming over the final six games.

San Diego’s remaining schedule is no vacation either. After finishing with Colorado and hosting Miami, the Padres travel to face the Dodgers before returning home for three games against Arizona. Still, this is the opening they have been chasing. The Phillies have lost their hottest starting pitcher at the exact moment every game becomes a referendum on their pitching depth. Now the Padres have to handle their own business.

Catching Philadelphia would move the Padres out of the final Wild Card position. Catching both the Phillies and Cubs would bring the entire best-of-three Wild Card Series to Petco Park. That is worth chasing with everything they have.

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