Numbers Show Just How Incredible Jesús Luzardo Has Been For Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are currently fighting for playoff positioning in the National League wild-card race. The Phillies are in a good spot to reach the postseason, barring any many fall off over the final month of the regular season.

But this team has been able to generate a ton of success on the backs of their starting pitching. Ace Cristopher Sanchez tends to get the shine from the group, but there have been others to massively stepped up as well.

One of which has been left-hander Jesús Luzardo, who has put together an incredible last few starts. Over his five starts in the month of August, Luzardo has been lights out for the Phillies.

The lefty has gone 34.1 innings, allowing just five runs. Luzardo has recorded a 1.31 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP during this stretch, striking out 46 batters in the process.

He has also registered four straight starts striking out at least nine batters. This has been pure dominance from the veteran left-hander over the last five starts.

For the year, Luzardo owns a 3.09 ERA over 27 starts. His performance this year can't be overstated to the success of the Phillies, and if he were to keep playing like this, Philadelphia would be tough to beat come playoff time.

“I think every single guy in the rotation wants to be the top, whether it’s innings, strikeouts,” Luzardo said. “Everyone just always wants to be the best, in a friendly competition way.”

After a slow start to the season, Philadelphia has turned itself around, now looking like a real threat. The Phillies own a record of 78-60 this year, currently sitting in second place within the NL East division.

The team has gone 8-2 over its last 10 games overall, bridging the gap between them and the first-place Atlanta Braves. The Phillies are now only four games back of Atlanta as the final month of the season gets going.

It could be tough to catch the Braves, but if the starting rotation keeps up this level of performance, it's certainly possible. Either way, the Phillies don't care what happens in the regular season, and this unit will be judged by what they can do in the postseason.

Philadelphia is finishing a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team right behind them in the wild-card standings. They then will open a four-game matchup with the Braves that could determine the division race.