Phillies running out of time to get struggling Ranger Suárez right before postseason

With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Philadelphia Phillies are looking to enter the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the National League. Philadelphia has gone 9-3 in September, defeating non-playoff clubs in seven of their 12 games.

However, their schedule is tougher over the next two weeks, beginning with their three-game series against the red-hot New York Mets. In addition to getting healthier with the start of the postseason a few weeks away, some Philadelphia players need to play better. One of the players who needs to get on a roll for the Phillies before the playoffs is Ranger Suárez. The left-hander has battled inconsistency during the second half of the season.

Phillies' Ranger Suárez looks far from the pitcher he was earlier in the season

Suárez dealt with injuries in July which prevented him from appearing in the All-Star Game. Philadelphia placed him on the 15-day IL with lower back soreness on July 27. He missed a month with the ailment, returning to the team on Aug. 24.

He has allowed four earned runs in two of his last three appearances. Suárez surrendered 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings pitched during his last start on Sept. 10 versus the Tampa Bay Rays. According to FanGraphs, there are explanations for the 29-year-old's recent struggles. Phillies fans and the organization should be concerned about the starter's performance (subscription required), with only a few starts remaining in the season.

FanGraphs details statistics for why Suárez has struggled. His ground ball rate has dropped from 70.0 percent on March 31 to 48.1 percent following his latest outing. The Venezuelan's strikeout rate has worsened from 38.9 percent at the end of March to 21.9 percent following his 24th appearance of the year. Finally, his line-drive rate has risen from 10.0 percent after his initial outing of 2024 to 24.7 percent following his start on Sept. 10.

With only a few starts remaining in the regular season, will Suárez show signs of the pitcher who was solid in the first few months of 2024, or will the lefty continue his recent erratic starts that have featured a drop in his pitch velocity?

If his play does not improve, Cristopher Sánchez may be used before him in the Phillies' playoff rotation. The 27-year-old has risen to be their No. 3 starter in the wake of Suárez's decline during the second half of the season.