Ranger Suárez struggles again as Phillies fall to Atlanta Braves
The lefty needed 91 pitches to get through his five innings of work. He has now allowed 11 earned runs over his last two outings.
ATLANTA — This has been a strange stretch for Ranger Suárez. After allowing five earned runs against the Braves on Saturday night, the Phillies lefty has now allowed 11 earned runs over his last two outings. On June 30 against the Marlins, he saw his velocity dip. It didn’t dip quite as much on Saturday, but he still allowed more hard contact than he typically does.
The Braves jumped on Suárez immediately, en route to a 5-1 Phillies loss. Jarred Kelenic hit a leadoff double in the first inning, and Ozzie Albies singled him home. Three batters later, Marcell Ozuna hit a two-out, two-run home run.
Suárez did a good job of finagling his way out of jams over the next few innings, but ran into trouble again in the fifth. Kelenic hit a leadoff single, and Albies hit a two-run home run off a cutter, right down the middle of the plate. Suárez needed 91 pitches to get through his five innings of work.
Manager Rob Thomson said he chalks it up to two bad starts, but conceded that fatigue could have contributed to Suárez’s struggles with command.
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“I think it’s maybe a potential cause for his command not being there,” Thomson said. “I think [the command will] come back.”
Suárez said he feels healthy. When asked if he has ever experienced a dead arm period, he said he had not. The biggest thing he stressed was his ability to locate his pitches.
“I’m going to work on that as I prepare for my next outing,” he said.
Suárez, who is normally stoic on the mound, was visibly frustrated at times.
“Obviously when you have bad outings back-to-back, it’s normal worry about my performance,” Suárez said. “I worry about my team. I’ve had three bad outings in a row now. So, I’m a little frustrated.
“Obviously when you allow that many runs — it feels like you’re knocked down. It’s harder to fight back. That’s what I’ve been thinking about. It’s five tonight, six last time.”
These are just two outings in the span of an 162-game season, but given how consistent Suárez had been all year, it’s a notable aberration. Suárez allowed four earned runs only once in his previous 16 outings. He allowed three earned runs only three times over that span.
According to MLB.com, this two-game stretch is the first time he’s allowed at least five runs in back-to-back outings.
The Phillies are already down a starter (Taijuan Walker) and a backup starter (Spencer Turnbull). Michael Mercado pitched well in his first career start on July 2, but he is stretched out to only 90 pitches. Suárez is already up to 108 innings this season. He finished last season at 125 -- due to an injury that he suffered during the World Baseball Classic.
It’s a hefty workload, but Thomson said that the upcoming All-Star break should help with that. He also said that the Phillies should have an opporutnity to go to a six-man rotation soon, if they choose that route.
“I think there’s probably a little bit of fatigue, sure, and I think there is with all of our guys right now,” Thomson said. “But I don’t think it’s a concern. None of the numbers that we measure are really jumping out at us.”
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A bullpen that has not been used as much, given how deep the Phillies’ starters have pitched, should see some more work now. The relief corps looked good on Saturday night. Jose Ruiz pitched a scoreless and hitless frame in the sixth, Gregory Soto allowed just one walk with two strikeouts in the seventh, and Seranthony Domínguez struck out the side in the eighth.
The offense did not look as good. After a 15-hit night on Friday, the Phillies managed just seven on Saturday. They combined for one run, one walk, and went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Their lone run came on a Trea Turner RBI single in the third inning. Braves starter Spencer Schwellenbach, who took a 1-4 record and 5.68 ERA into the game, scattered seven hits in six innings, with no walks and six strikeouts. The Phillies recorded only one hit after the fourth inning.
“He had good stuff tonight,” Thomson said of Schwellenbach. “Pounded the zone, worked fast. His breaking ball, whatever you want to call it, was really good. Fastball played. He was impressive tonight.”