“This is the big leagues, and I’ve said it before to myself and to the younger guys, it happens quick. And that’s a prime example,” Luzardo said. “[I] felt like I was cruising the first three [innings], felt amazing, and just the fourth and the fifth happened so fast — it felt like a blink of an eye — and they put up nine runs. Again, like I said, it’s frustrating, but it is what it is, and there’s nothing I could do to change it. So I just have to move forward and get better.”
Few teams are as motivated as a Padres club that pulled off multiple pre-June blockbusters and now faces a possible deficit of starting pitching. The discussions that led up to the Cease trade could help facilitate a second exchange with the White Sox. But, for now, no agreement between the two sides is considered imminent. It remains to be seen if the Padres have the right players to close another aggressive deal.
It was a shocking turn of events after Luzardo was staked to a 3-0 lead and required just 35 pitches to dominate through the first three frames. His only baserunner was Randy Arozarena following his one-out single in the first.
But things began to unravel in the go-ahead four-run fourth. Luzardo opened the 30-pitch frame with a four-pitch walk to Arozarena. He later hung a slider to Brandon Lowe, who kept it fair down the right-field line for a three-run homer. Jose Siri would add an RBI double.
In a five-run fifth, Luzardo gave up a two-run single to Isaac Paredes and a two-run double to Lowe to end his outing. An inherited runner would score
