The midsummer swoon is in the rearview mirror after making 97.5 The Fanatic’s phones ring off the hook. The Philadelphia Phillies have pulled ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball with a 14-4 stretch.
Their attention now shifts to preserving the health of their playoff contributors and gaining the most advantageous seeding.
A peculiar slump from Ranger Suarez is also a key question heading toward Red October.
Phillies vs. Miami Marlins
- Thursday 9/5: Win 5-2
- Friday 9/6: Win 16-2
- Saturday 9/7: Loss 9-5
- Sunday 9/8: Loss 10-1
Phillies vs. Tampa Bay Rays
- Monday 9/9: Win 2-1
- Tuesday 9/10: Win 9-4
- Wednesday 9/11: Win 3-2
All stats as of the beginning of play on September 12
Let's Start With The Injuries (COUGH, COUGH)
The best record in baseball and home field advantage at Citizens Bank Park looks in reach. However, the Phillies must look to get healthy before entering Red October.
Their list of nicks and bruises keeps growing. Rob Thomson provided some injury updates on Wednesday, but the Phillies still have a shorthanded lineup with some AAA regulars.
- Catcher- J.T. Realmuto should return Friday after a week’s absence recovering from a foul ball off his knee in Miami. Rafael Marchan is back in AAA, but his previous injury forced Aramis Garcia to the majors to split time with Garrett Stubbs during Realmuto’s recovery.
- Third Base- Alec Bohm remains on the IL with a left hand strain. He is progressing, but he probably won’t come off the IL when he’s eligible on Sept. 13. Edmundo Sosa could return on Sept. 17, but the Phillies have used Weston Wilson and Kody Clemens at the hot corner temporarily. Wilson has provided some pop off the bench this season, but he hasn’t shown great defensive versatility at third base.
- Austin Hays remains sidelined with a kidney infection. He’ll need to work on physical conditioning, and he’ll miss more time than most of his injured teammates.
- Kyle Schwarber will return on Friday. His absence on Wednesday was precautionary.
Concerns About Ranger Suarez
The Phillies haven’t seen Ranger Suarez in peak form since the first half of the season. The Venezuelan lefty stormed out of the gates in 2024. He appeared to have emerged as a serious Cy Young candidate at the midway point.
Fast forward. The velocity on his four-seam fastball dipped into the 87-88 mile per hour range on September 5 in Miami. Suarez found an uptick in his last start, but he still allowed a career worst 12 hits to an underwhelming Tampa Bay lineup in 5 ⅓ innings on Tuesday.
“The velo was up a little bit from last time, but the command wasn’t as good and he didn’t have his best change-up. He sort of became one-dimensional. When he’s just fastball, curveball and he’s not commanding his pitches as well as he normally does, he can get in some trouble.” -Rob Thomson
Retrace the steps to see how he ended up here. Suarez skipped the MLB All-Star Game and rested significantly between starts on July 12 and July 22. He then took a trip to the IL on July 27.
Rob Thomson initially said he expected his breakout stud to return for the Arizona Diamondbacks series from August 8-11. The absence dragged on nearly two additional weeks.
Meanwhile, Dave Dombrowski made a serious push to acquire 25-year-old starter Garrett Crochet, as reported by Jayson Stark on The Best Show Ever.
Suarez has never pitched a full season in an MLB starting rotation, which was part of the rationale for conserving his innings and extending a cautious timeline.
The aggressive push for the crown jewel of the trade market for an organization that already has long-term money tied to Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Sanchez certainly didn’t indicate unwavering confidence in Ranger Suarez.
Some combination of back spasms, extra rest, fatigue, dead arm, and natural regression have limited the 29-year-old’s contributions during the second half. Will he regain his rhythm as the dominant stopper from early 2024 by Red October?
Suarez has never pitched more than 5 ⅓ innings in any of his seven career postseason starts. He’s never pitched more than 155 ⅓ innings in a single season.
The unclear explanations for his lack of rhythm with three weeks remaining in the regular season shouldn’t inspire much confidence that he’ll give the Phillies the same length as Wheeler or Nola in the playoffs.
Rob Thomson pulled Ranger Suarez in Game 1 of the NLDS in 2023 after just 3 ⅔ innings and 53 pitches. His bullpen put on a masterclass and crushed the spirits of the Atlanta Braves to set the tone for a series victory.
Don’t be surprised if Thomson maneuvers with his pitching staff similarly to utilize Suarez in shorter outings during Red October.
