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Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Jesus Luzardo hopes to continue impressing his new team when he takes the mound against the host Chicago Cubs in the second game of their three-game series on Saturday.

The Phillies could use a strong performance after losing five in a row.

Luzardo (2-0, 2.08 ERA) came to Philadelphia from the Miami Marlins in the offseason and has pitched well in his first five starts for the Phillies.

He most recently threw seven solid innings against his former team on Sunday.

Luzardo departed with a 4-2 lead after allowing two runs (one earned) and eight hits with seven strikeouts and no walks, but the bullpen gave the lead away in the 7-5 loss in 10 innings.

Phillies coach Rob Thomson has been cautious with the 27-year-old after his 2024 season ended early because of a back injury.

“There’s still the health issue for the player,” Thomson said. “He ended up with 88 pitches (on Sunday), 21 in (the seventh) inning. That was the most he had thrown in any inning, and he had to grind through it. It looked like he emptied the tank for me.”

Luzardo said it was one of his better performances in terms of commanding the strike zone.

“Staying away from the walks and trying to get early contact, which is what I think every starter wants to do,” he said. “I think we were able to achieve that.”

Luzardo has enjoyed good success in his five starts against the Cubs in his career, owning a 2-0 mark and a 2.90 ERA.

Fellow left-handed starter Cristopher Sanchez left after two innings on Tuesday against the New York Mets because of left forearm soreness, but the team is optimistic it wasn’t a structural injury.

“We’re going to err on the side of caution if we think there is any chance of anything beyond,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “We definitely would take the next step and MRI him, but right now [the trainers] are just saying, ‘Dave, he’s fine, really.’ That’s what they are saying.”

Another left-handed starter, Ranger Suarez, is also getting close to returning to the rotation.

Suarez pitched five innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday and the 2024 NL All Star is scheduled to make a third rehab start on Sunday.

The Cubs plan to start right-hander Ben Brown on Saturday.

Brown (2-1, 4.57) needed 100 pitches to go four innings in his last outing on Saturday, a 6-2 win against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.

He went up against Zac Gallen, a 2023 NL All Star, and said he learned a few things from watching the seven-year veteran.

“He’s one of the best pitchers in baseball, he’s done great things and he’s going to continue to do great things,” Brown said. “For me, I need a piece of that, just to continue to battle through.”

Brown would have liked to pitch long enough against the Diamondbacks to have been eligible for the win, but he was happy with how his pitches worked.

“I battled,” Brown said. “I’m pleased with the performance and I’m grateful that I was able to get through it.”

Brown had thrown six shutout innings in his previous start, a 16-0 win against the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on April 12, making up for a season-opening loss to the Dodgers on March 18.

“Our guys have been doing an incredible job,” Brown said. “I do truly believe we have one of the most thorough offenses in baseball.”

Brown has not faced the Phillies in his career.

-Field Level Media