One area that the Philadelphia Phillies haven’t struggled with through the first month of the season is the starting rotation. Outside of Aaron Nola, who pulled things together with a brilliant start on Sunday Night Baseball, the starting pitchers have been what we had expected to see.
The Phillies boast a starting five with the third-lowest ERA (3.42) in the National League and the most strikeouts (181) in the majors. Even still, if you have an opportunity to add a pitcher like Ranger Suárez to the mix, you take it. After his most recent rehab start in Triple-A, it looks like the lefty is ready to rejoin the big league staff.
Unfortunately, the Phillies’ decision makers have other ideas.
Ranger Suárez proves he’s ready to return but Phillies inexplicably have other plans
After beginning the season on the 15-day IL recovering from a back ailment, Suárez made his fourth rehab outing and his second start for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Sunday. He allowed one run on four hits over 4 2/3 innings, striking out eight and walking two. Typically, for a hurler as established as Suárez, the pitch count is more important than the results of rehab appearances (although it’s nice when major leaguers perform well against minor league talent).
Suárez threw 78 pitches in Allentown against the Columbus Clippers. By all accounts, it looks like he’s ready to head back to Philadelphia. Suárez notched 53 of his 78 pitches for strikes on Sunday, with 15 whiffs and 14 called strikes. He now has a 1.08 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 24 strikeouts and a 59.4 percent ground ball rate over 16 2/3 innings between his Low-A and Triple-A starts.
The Phillies, however, want him to make one more rehab start, and get to 90 pitches, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber.
Ranger Suárez today for triple-A Lehigh Valley: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 8 K. 74 pitches. The #Phillies have said they want to get him to 90 or so pitches before he returns to the rotation, so likely one more minor league start.
https://twitter.com/ScottLauber/status/1916569922009759899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1916569922009759899%7Ctwgr%5E2323478840feea5b236a895fe8da0091328d9345%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthatballsouttahere.com%2Franger-suarez-proves-ready-to-return-phillies-inexplicably-have-other-plans
The Phillies want Suárez to extend his next Triple-A start by 12 more pitches? It feels like that’s something he could do on a major league mound. Luckily, the Phillies haven’t actually made an official announcement at this time, so there’s still a chance his next start will come this weekend at Citizens Bank Park.
How long can Phillies wait to bring Suárez back?
It’s not like the Phillies couldn’t use him. Taijuan Walker has filled in admirably, with a 2.78 ERA in 22 2/3 innings in his five April starts. Aside from one horrendous six-run inning against the San Francisco Giants, he has looked serviceable — even downright good at times.
But how much longer are the Phillies willing to tempt fate?
Walker has struggled with shorter outings in his last two games. He left his April 19 start after four innings when his shoulder stiffened up. He only made it through three innings against the Chicago Cubs on Friday, needing 86 pitches in a laborious performance. The right-hander will likely end up in the bullpen when Suárez does return.
There’s also a question mark around Cristopher Sánchez right now. The Phillies seemingly dodged a bullet with his forearm “injury” last week. He threw a bullpen session on Sunday and “felt great,” according to MLB.com. The lefty’s next move hasn’t been determined, but manager Rob Thomson discussed rearranging the deck chairs this week to push back Sánchez’s next appearance. We’ll probably find out on Tuesday.
As for Suárez, if he’s healthy, he’s healthy. Let’s get him back on the roster.
