Phillies 'hope' they can count on Ranger Suárez as fourth playoff starter

For Philadelphia Phillies fans watching the Sept. 27 game against the Nationals, Ranger Suárez's performance was stressful (to say the least). The All-Star allowed seven hits and six runs in only two innings against a team with no playoff slot and only 70 wins.

As this was Suárez's final performance going into the postseason after a string of shakey starts, it is safe to say the game did not result in the boost of confidence fans were hoping for.

For a quick recap, Suárez began this season with a nine-game winning streak and was putting up crazy numbers. In the month of April, he had a 0.75 ERA in five starts and a 2.32 ERA for another five in May. But following the All-Star Break and his injury, Suárez's starts looked drastically different; in his eight starts following the All-Star break, the lefty posted a 5.65 ERA.

Phillies 'hope' they can count on Ranger Suárez as fourth playoff starter

Ending the regular season with a 3.46 ERA and 1.20 WHIP, Ranger Suárez will be the fourth starter for the Phillies in the playoffs, presumably playing in Game 4 of the NLDS following Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Sánchez.

Manager Rob Thompson expressed confidence that the pitcher will perform up to the standards he set early in the season, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.

“I hope and I think that the adrenaline of the playoffs will pick it up,” Thompson said, per Zolecki. "But I always have confidence in him. I really do.”

Additionally, Thompson seems to think that with some rest, Suárez will hopefully bounce back in time for the postseason, as he has been able to do in the past.

“But I think the last two years, the final start of his season wasn’t very good. They were kind of similar to this. Maybe he needs a little bit of time off, which he’ll get. Then pick it up with adrenaline with the playoffs,” Thompson said, per Zolecki.

The break granted by the Phillies' first-round bye seems to be a hopeful solution for rebooting Suárez, and ultimately the team as a whole, after ending the regular season with a series loss. Though it's easy to recall how the All-Star break resulted in an unfortunate slump for the Phillies, and hope this break will produce much better results.

Suárez, though undoubtedly disappointed by his recent start against the Nationals, hopes to put the recent struggles aside as he gears up for the playoffs.

“Obviously, I wanted to have at least a decent start before the playoffs,” Suárez said through Diego Ettedgui, the team’s interpreter, per Zolecki. “It didn’t happen. Let’s turn the page and just have a strong mind going into the playoffs now.”

With Red October only days away, Phillies fans can only hope Suárez shows up to the playoffs with the power he displayed early in the season ... and at least be thankful Tijuan Walker isn't set to start instead.

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