Rob Thomson was not in charge of Wednesday’s intrasquad game at Citizens Bank Park behind closed doors. So he took advantage of the opportunity to view a portion of the game from a fresh perspective.
Thomson sat behind home plate when Ranger Suárez pitched two innings against his Phillies colleagues. It provided Thomson a greater perspective on Suárez’s command.
He likes what he sees. Suárez, who started for the host club, club Harper, fired 21 pitches in two innings. His fastball sat around 92-93 mph. The breaking ball looked fantastic.
“I saw a big improvement in him,” Thomson told reporters via Zoom from his Citizens Bank Park office.
Keeping everyone healthy is a priority No. 1. Getting Suárez right is priority No. 2.
We won’t know for sure if Suárez is correct until the next time he takes the ball when it counts, but the 12 days between Suárez’s dreadful final outing of the regular season against the Washington Nationals and a potential Game 4 of the NLDS provide an opportunity for Suárez to work to regain something resembling his early season form.
Suárez, who was an NL Cy Young candidate earlier this year, missed the All-Star Game and was placed on the injured list on July 27 because to back difficulties. His first appearance off the IL, on August 24 against the Kansas City Royals, went well, but he has a 6.49 ERA in his subsequent six outings. His velocity dipped dramatically on Sept. 5 against the Marlins, but has slowly crept back up since. He did not make it out of the third inning of his last start against the Nats on Friday.
Did Suárez’s performance today allay fears about him entering the postseason?
“I think so,” Thomson remarked. “You never know, but I felt quite happy about it. Caleb [Cotham] expressed similar sentiments when we spoke. I had a great vantage point sitting behind the plate, and it was coming out of his hand pretty well; command was present. Speaking with the hitters, there was movement. The curveball was sharp. So, absolutely, that relieved my anxiety.”
Few expected Suárez to be in this position after the first three months of the season. He won nine consecutive games from April 6 to May 21. Cristopher Sánchez signed his extension in June in the midst of his own breakout, and some wondered if Suárez, who is a free agent at the end of 2025, was next in line. He looked like a Game 2 starter.
Suárez now ranks below Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, and Aaron Nola on the starting pitching depth chart. Thomson has not officially announced his NLDS rotation, but Game 1 will feature Wheeler and Game 2 will be a toss-up between Sánchez and Nola. The player who does not start Game 2 will pitch in Game 3.
Suárez will start Game 4 if necessary, but he’ll likely be on a short leash given his success down the stretch and the Phillies’ off day the next day.
It’s a formula that has previously proven successful for the Phillies. He was pulled in the fourth inning of the last two NLDS openers against the Braves. The Phillies were successful thanks to their bullpen. He hasn’t pitched more than five innings in a postseason start.
Whether things alter or remain the same this time will be determined by how Suárez performs in the first inning of his debut.
