Ranger Suárez is effective in return, but Phillies doomed by cold bats in series opener vs. Twins

MINNEAPOLIS — For 10 days, Phillies officials maintained they weren’t worried about the back spasms that bothered Ranger Suárez after his last start and kept him home from the All-Star Game.

But, well, until they saw him pitch again …

“I’ll cross my fingers,” manager Rob Thomson said before Monday’s game.

OK, uncross. For now.

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Forget, for the moment, that the Phillies lost for the fourth time in five games, 7-2, to the Twins after a thunderstorm blew through Minnesota and delayed the first pitch by 91 minutes. Only three runs were allowed by Suárez, who made his first start since July 12, his best start since at least June 25, and quelled some unease about his health.

And given the Phillies’ 8½-game lead in the division and 99.9% chance of making the playoffs (according to FanGraphs’ odds), that was more important than the outcome of their 100th game of the season.

Now, it’s Zack Wheeler’s turn. The Phillies ace will make his first start in two weeks Tuesday night after dealing with back soreness. And if he comes through without issue, then the Phillies will really breathe a sigh of relief.

“I did feel good,” Suárez said through a team interpreter. “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. They were good pitches with bad results.”

It happens. Sometimes, you throw a two-strike sinker in on the knees to the No. 9 hitter, and he splashes it down inside the right-field line for a ground-rule double to help set up a rally.

After Diego Castillo’s bloop, Suárez gave up the hardest-hit ball against him, a go-ahead, two-run single to Manny Margot that gave the Twins a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning.

» READ MORE: From teen prospect in rural Venezuela to All-Star: How Ranger Suárez became ‘that guy’ with the Phillies

But the Phillies were pleased with Suárez’s command, especially to his glove (right) side of the plate. Suárez walked one batter after walking a total of seven in his previous three starts.

Maybe it helped that he was working again with J.T. Realmuto, with whom he had a 1.81 ERA through 13 starts compared to a 4.98 mark in six starts while Realmuto was recovering from knee surgery.

It was clear, though, that Suárez benefited from the extended All-Star break, which couldn’t have come at a better time for a lefty who has already logged 119⅓ after throwing only 125 last season.

“I got a lot of rest over the break,” Suárez said. “It was all to come back stronger for the second half.”

Suárez said he’s no longer getting treatment for the back spasms, which didn’t linger for more than a few days.

“It was just a mild thing,” he said. “Because I feel good, I haven’t had anything on my back. I have nothing right now. I feel healthy. I had some soreness in my back, but that’s not there anymore.”

Said Thomson: “There’s always concern, you know? But I feel a lot better about it now.”

Through three months, Suárez was the likeliest candidate to start the All-Star Game for the National League. But then he allowed 15 earned runs in three starts, his ERA climbing from 1.83 on June 25 to 2.76 going into the break.

It was a good sign, then, that he commanded his sinker, four-seam fastball, and curveball. Realmuto called for more changeups the third time through the order. Suárez kept the Twins off balance. He got quick outs. He fielded his position with his usual athleticism.

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“I thought he threw the ball well,” Realmuto said. “Curveball looked sharp. Changeup had a lot of depth to it. Honestly, I thought he was commanding his pitches well.”

It took 13 years in the majors for Bryce Harper to finally play a game at Target Field, and with one swing, he left a mark. Harper staked Suárez to a 2-0 lead by smashing a two-run homer to the concourse beyond the right-field bleachers. It left his bat at 113.8 mph, his hardest-hit homer of the season.

But the Phillies were muted after that by Twins starter Bailey Ober, and they can’t say they weren’t warned. In spring training, Harper struck out twice against Ober and heaped praise on the 6-foot-9 righty in an in-game interview.

“Good luck to anybody in the [AL] Central,” Harper said then, “because that’s going to be a tough at-bat for anybody.”

Sure enough, Ober yielded only two more hits after Harper’s homer and didn’t permit a runner to reach second base. At one point, he set down 12 batters in a row.

The Phillies capped Suárez at 80 pitches in his return and lifted him after 79 with one out in the sixth inning. The Twins tagged Seranthony Domínguez for one run in the seventh inning and Yunior Marte for three in the eighth.

But Suárez’s rebound was encouraging. The question now is whether his back is strong enough to help carry the Phillies in October like he did in April, May, and June.

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“That’s what you work for,” Suárez said. “You work to finish stronger. That’s what I’ve been working on. That’s what you want to do.”

Said Realmuto: “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.”

That’s all that really matters.