Phillies Finally Cave and Put Jesús Luzardo on the IL

The Philadelphia Phillies spent the entire weekend pretending Jesús Luzardo's shoulder was just a little stiff, but reality has officially entered the chat. According to a report from MLB Trade Rumors, the team is finally caving and placing their star left-hander on the injured list.\n\nThis is the exact opposite of what you want to hear in mid-September when you are trying to lock up a postseason berth. Losing a guy who has been pitching like a Cy Young candidate is the kind of roster grenade that ruins a manager's sleep schedule and sends futures bettors into a full-blown panic.\n\nLuzardo has been absolutely dealing this year. He is sitting on a 14-5 record with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. You do not just replace that kind of production with a guy you call up from Triple-A. The Phillies handed him a five-year extension back in March for exactly this reason, and now they have to survive the stretch run without him.\n\nThe funniest part of this whole saga is the PR spin that led up to it. Just a few days ago, Luzardo was scratched against the Atlanta Braves, but interim manager Don Mattingly swore up and down there were no conversations about an IL stint. Luzardo even hit us with the classic tough-guy line, claiming he would pitch if it was Game 7 of the World Series.\n\nWell, it is not Game 7, and his shoulder inflammation is apparently angry enough to mandate a vacation. Now the Phillies have to figure out how to patch their rotation together while they head to D.C. to play the Washington Nationals. Luzardo is going to be shut down for at least a couple of weeks, meaning the absolute best-case scenario is getting him right for October, assuming they can actually make it there without him.