MINNEAPOLIS — The Phillies had an idea this 10-day break for Ranger Suárez would be beneficial, but no one knew for sure. There were indications. As Suárez inched closer to his Monday outing, his body recovered well after throwing sessions. Then, he threw more strikes in 5 1/3 innings. His command was not perfect. It was improved.
“There’s always concern, you know?” Rob Thomson said after a 7-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins. “But I feel a lot better about it now.”
The manager has a lot on his mind. Nothing is more important than the health of his starting pitchers, who propelled the Phillies to a remarkable start this season. There are side effects from that; the Phillies have to find the proper balance between winning now and being fresh for October. It’s why Suárez had a longer All-Star break. It’s why he threw only 79 pitches Monday night.
He did not look like the dominant Suárez from earlier this season. But he was better than the recent version. The soreness in his back has subsided; he is no longer receiving treatment for it.
Suárez allowed three runs. One of the decisive pitches was an 0-2 sinker in on the hands of Diego Castillo, Minnesota’s No. 9 hitter. The ball plopped inside the foul line and bounced into the stands for an excuse-me double. Suárez put his hands on his hips.
“That was right where we wanted it,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “Just kind of tough luck. Most of the time, he was throwing the ball where we wanted. Sometimes, the ball doesn’t fall your way. And we didn’t really score any runs for him. But I was encouraged by his outing.”
Suárez agreed.
“I did feel good,” he said through a team interpreter. “My pitches felt good, as well. Obviously, when you’re healthy, you don’t have to worry about what’s hurting you. You can just focus on working. And today, it was just that. I threw the pitches that I wanted. And I think they were good pitches with bad results. I think that was it.”
Suárez has almost equaled his innings total from a season ago (125). He’s at 119 1/3 with more than two months to play. He’d like to make 30 starts. The Phillies will push him, but they want an effective Suárez for October.
It’s something to monitor.
“You work to finish stronger, and that’s what I’ve been working on,” Suárez said. “Finishing stronger. You want to finish stronger for your team.”
“I’m confident in him, for sure,” Realmuto said. “I’ve never lacked confidence in Ranger. Obviously, he’ll probably throw the most innings he’s ever thrown this year. But I don’t see why he won’t be able to stay strong through it and be good for us in the playoffs.”
There were decent signs Monday night. Suárez threw three pitches at 93 mph, which was three more than he had thrown in his previous two starts combined. He had walked seven batters in his last 15 2/3 innings. He walked only one Monday night. That free pass was a critical mistake. Suárez walked Castillo with one out in the third inning. He came around to score the first Minnesota run.
But Suárez was ahead in more counts. He threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 24 batters he faced. That 67 percent rate was better than his season average (63 percent).
“Much better,” Thomson said. “Velocity was a little bit better than it was in his last couple of starts. He landed his breaking ball when he needed to behind the count, and he put the breaking ball where he wanted to on put-away pitches. Got the ball to his glove side. Those are the things that we were looking for. It really wasn’t about his velocity. It was just about command, how the spin on his breaking ball was. I was happy with it.”
Realmuto had not caught Suárez for months, and they reunited with a curveball-heavy approach. The Twins whiffed at five of the 22 curves Suárez threw. It was sharper. The changeup had more depth. There were things to build upon.
Suárez skipped the All-Star Game; he did not even attend with his teammates because he believed the added travel would not be wise for his stiff back. So, he spent time with his family. He did not do much else.
“I got a lot of rest,” Suárez said. “It was all to come back stronger for the second half, and I feel good.”
The Phillies have lost five of their last seven games. They are 10-10 in their last 20. They are 16-14 in their last 30.
They have gained half a game on the Atlanta Braves during that 30-game stretch. This isn’t the Phillies’ best baseball. It’s all relative.
“We’re going through one of those times when we pitch, we don’t hit. And when we hit, we don’t pitch,” Thomson said. “That’s part of this long season, and we’ll come out of it.”
For now, if Suárez emerges from it better than before, they’ll be pleased.
(Photo: Bruce Kluckhohn / Associated Press)
