The Philadelphia Phillies have a Ranger Suárez problem

The Philadelphia Phillies have a Ranger Suárez problem.

Ranger Suárez hasn’t posted a Quality Start since June 25th – which is really when everything took a turn for the worst. In his start against the Detroit Tigers, Suárez coughed up four runs (two earned) over six innings of work in a 4-1 loss for the Phillies.

Sure, the Phillies offense failed to show up so it wasn’t all on Ranger but that start specifically was a massive shift in his production for the remainder of the season.

Heading into that start against the Detroit Tigers, Suárez was one of, if not the best starting pitcher in all of Major League Baseball. He was 10-2 on the year with a dominant 1.83 ERA – a lock for the All-Star game and considered the early-favorite to take home the NL Cy Young Award.

One “off-night” in June was hardly a reason to panic but since then, things never really clicked for Ranger Suárez. His wife and kids arrived in the United States for the first time, and he spent significant time on the injured list while dealing with back soreness that forced him to skip a start.

We have a Ranger Suárez problem. I’m sick

— Drew Smith (@drewmsmith) September 27, 2024

No more quality starts for Suárez since the Detroit game and if you take a closer look, only one of the starts post-Tigers has lasted past the fifth inning.

With Red October looming, the Phillies were hoping to see flashes of first-half Suárez in his final tune-up against the Washington Nationals last night in D.C.. Instead, the Phillies were handed the worst version of him, raising questions about how reliable Suárez be when the stakes get higher in October.

heartbreaking 💔 pic.twitter.com/CF6SleqnmN

— Drew Smith (@drewmsmith) September 28, 2024

Suárez barely made it through two innings last night, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks. After tossing 59 pitches—41 of those in the first inning—the Phillies were already in a massive hole before fans could even settle into their seats. The result was a 9-1 loss, and with it, the Phillies are basically locked into the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

Ranger Suárez: Yikes…

ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOKS pic.twitter.com/UPrxkN6ZAA

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) September 27, 2024

Fine. Whatever. But that’s not the real issue here.

The bigger problem is that one of the Phillies’ most trusted arms is in a serious slump and it will have a major impact in how Rob Thomson and company manage their rotation in the postseason.

Since June 25th, numbers across the board for Suárez have nosedived. He’s gone 2-6 with a brutal 6.54 ERA across 11 starts. In that span, he’s thrown just 52 1/3 innings—less than five innings per start. He’s been hit hard, giving up 69 hits and 22 walks, with a WHIP of 1.739. To put that into perspective, he’s allowing nearly 16 baserunners per nine innings.

Ranger Suárez Before All-Star Break:
19 G | 10-4 | 2.76 ERA | 114 IP | .219 AVG | 1.04 WHIP

Ranger Suárez Post All-Star Break:
8 G | 2-4 | 5.65 ERA | 36.2 IP | .311 AVG | 1.69 WHIP

Obviously, the question is now whether or not the Phillies can rely on Suárez come playoff time. While he’s slotted behind Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Sanchez, if there’s a Game 4 closeout game in the NLDS, on the road, can Topper really send Suárez to the mound to get his team to the NLCS for the third consecutive season?

If Suárez had been serviceable down the stretch, then obviously it’s an easy answer. Any team’s No. 4 starter is hardly a “sure thing” but at the very least, a team should be able to trust that pitcher to keep them in the game.

Suárez hasn’t been that guy for months and to make matters worse, has struggled against the easiest opponents in the Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, and Washington Nationals.

It’s a big question mark for the Phillies as October looms and as it stands right now, we’re more likely to see Ranger Suárez pitching one or two innings in the postseason rather than posting a quality start as the team’s No. 4 in the rotation.

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