Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson named left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo as his starter for Game 2 of the NLDS against Blake Snell and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Luzardo will take the mound on Monday night in the second of two series-opening games at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Thomson has not named a starter for any future game, starting when the series flips to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles for Game 3 on Wednesday, Oct. 6.
The Dodgers previously named Yoshinobu Yamamoto as their starter for Wednesday's Game 3 against the Phillies.
Luzardo went 15-7 with a 3.92 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP with 216 strikeouts in 183.2 innings pitched in 2025. He is 0-2 in four career postseason starts with a 6.14 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP with 16 strikeouts in 14.2 innings pitched. He last made an appearance in the postseason on Oct. 3, 2023, with the Miami Marlins as an opponent against the Phillies. He was given the decision, a loss, after going four innings and allowing eight hits, no walks, and three earned runs while striking out five batters.
The Lima, Peru native also made postseason appearances in 2019 and 2020 with the Oakland Athletics before getting traded to his hometown Marlins.
Snell went 5-4 in 11 games for the Dodgers in 2025. He had a 2.35 ERA with a 1.26 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 61.1 innings pitched. Snell pitched in Game 1 of the NL Wildcard series against the Cincinnati Reds, going seven innings, striking out nine batters, and allowing four hits, one walk, and two earned runs.
The Dodgers won the NL West with a 93-69 record and were saddled with the wild card series against the Reds, which they won in a two-game sweep, because they finished with the third-best record in the National League.
Luzardo and the Phillies have yet to play a postseason game in 2025 after the team earned a bye with the best record in the NL East. They finished 2025 with a 96-66 record, just one win behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in the National League and the entirety of baseball.
