The Philadelphia Phillies have not been as good as themselves lately. They are 12-20 in the second half of the season, but have lost four of their last five games.
They are on the verge of a mini-collapse as the season slowly winds down. Their next nine games are two against the Royals, three against the Astros and four against the Braves. If they are not careful, they are in danger of letting the Braves erase the five-game lead in the NL East that the Phillies have worked so hard to build.
But the Phillies are not going to give up. They are getting reinforcements and they are coming at just the right time to fill the biggest gap in the team.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders Podcastsubscribe to The Moonshotour weekly MLB newsletter, and join Discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.
The Phillies have sorely missed Ranger Suarez since the left-hander landed on the injured list about a month ago. He used that time to rest and recover from a persistent back injury that had hampered his performance for some time.
Suarez has been activated from the injured list and will make his first start on Saturday night against the Royals. The Phillies are wasting no time in returning their star left-hander to the field, giving him a tough matchup against one of the top teams in the American League.
The Phillies really need Suarez to play well, especially given Taijuan Walker’s poor performance at the bottom of the rotation. Philadelphia had the NL’s best starting pitcher for most of the season, but injuries and Walker’s struggles have severely hampered that in the second half.
While the Phillies seemed to have a tight grip on the NL East for most of the season, things are starting to look a little shaky, especially given their grueling nine games. They’ll need Suarez back from the injured list the same way he started the season. Philadelphia is counting on him.
And if there’s one thing Ranger Suarez is known for, it’s his performance in the postseason and when the Phillies need him. They’re going to need him over the next few months and he’s finally healthy and ready to go.
