Phillies hope they’ve discovered what has kept Ranger Suárez from looking like his All-Star self

NEW YORK — Phillies pitcher Ranger Suárez was a Cy Young contender in the first half of the season, but in July, things started to change. His command was uncharacteristically erratic. He was put on the injured list on July 27 with lower back soreness, made two starts in August, and was placed on the injured list again on Aug. 16 with a right hamstring strain.

Suárez still hasn’t looked as dominant since he has returned, but the Phillies now believe they have identified a reason why. Because of his injuries, Suárez wasn’t using his lower half as much as he should have been. It was affecting the finish on his pitches, which was affecting his command.

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So, the pitching coaches began to work on some adjustments in his catch-play and bullpen sessions before Saturday’s start. Suárez wasn’t perfect in a 6-3 loss to the Mets on Saturday, but there were signs of progress. His velocity was as high as it’s been in weeks. He averaged 92.5 mph on his four-seam fastball, which was a 0.6 mph increase from his yearly average.

But beyond that, the shapes of his pitches looked better. After the game, Suárez credited his recent adjustment, which helped him power through his legs.

“If you’re late, or you’re not using lower half, the cutter might back up,” said pitching coach Caleb Cotham. “The sinker might stay up. The finish to all of his pitches were finishing in the direction they should be finishing.

“He was using his legs better. There was more flow, more rhythm. He was on time. He was sticking a lot more fastballs, his cutter shape was good, his curveball was very good. It was a lot cleaner shapes and ball flight.”

Suárez was candid about why he got away from using his lower half.

“I think it was because I was trying to protect my back,” he said Saturday. “So, I think that set me back. I wasn’t using [my legs] as much, because I worried that I would hurt my back. But over the last week, it’s been getting better.”

Cotham said the adjustment wasn’t a change to Suárez’s delivery, but rather a realignment.

“Consciously doing some things, so that they can be unconscious again,” Cotham said. “So really, it’s his front leg putting more force in the ground, and making sure that when his foot lands, that he’s using all of that energy and it’s getting up through his body and distributing well.

“So, you don’t want to be all upper body, you don’t want to be all lower body. It’s using the ground and his lower half to have the whole thing work. The front leg is important for him. When you see him land, and that front leg straightens, kind of like a tripod, typically he’s getting to his glove side better, and he’s typically throwing harder fastballs.”

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The Phillies are going to continue to work on this with Suárez before his outings throughout the regular season and postseason. Their hope is that it will help increase his velocity, sharpen his command, and improve the finish on his pitches.

“I do think there’s a level of velocity for him that helps the finish on his pitches, which helps his command,” said Cotham. “He doesn’t need to throw 98 mph. But his sinker at 92, 93 mph is a lot different than at 90-89 mph. It’s straighter, longer, and later sink. Same thing with all of his pitches.”

Cotham added: “He can throw the ball a bunch of different ways and still get them out. It’s just letting him feel more comfortable letting it go and letting it rip. But if we’re going to let it rip, let’s make sure we’re doing it in a way that’s beneficial to all of this — the command, the health, the velocity — and not just let it rip and hope that it looks good.”

Outfielder Austin Hays (kidney infection) came out of his second rehab game feeling good on Sunday. He went 2-for-5 on Saturday night with triple-A Lehigh Valley, and hitless on Sunday afternoon, but did not feel fatigue. He is still on track to be activated Tuesday … Spencer Turnbull (right shoulder strain) threw two innings (34 pitches) at Lehigh Valley on Sunday. He touched 94 mph and gave up two earned runs on two hits with one walk and two strikeouts. He will throw batting practice at the Phillies’ facility in Clearwater, Fla., later next week.