The strength of this year’s Philadelphia Phillies team has been the starting rotation. The Phillies have four starters who have all been in the National League Cy Young conversation at some point this season. Zack Wheeler is in a tight race for the award with Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale as the Major League Baseball regular season comes to an end.
The outlier in the Phillies’ starting rotation has been the No. 5 starter all season, but is it time to worry about Ranger Suárez too?
Ranger Suárez has lost his spot as Phillies' No. 3 starter
Suárez got off to an incredible start to the 2024 season. The southpaw went 10-1 in his first 13 starts and had his ERA as low as 1.32 at one point. He was a Cy Young favorite through June 25.
Suárez hasn’t been himself since then. The 29-year-old pitched 4 2/3 innings while allowing 10 hits, two walks and six earned runs against the Miami Marlins on June 30. He didn’t record a strikeout in that outing, and his ERA rose to 2.27 on the year.
In his last eight starts, Suárez hasn’t made it past six innings. The last time he made it through six innings was on June 14 against the Baltimore Orioles. Suárez also missed some time due to a back injury that forced him to miss 33 days between starts.
Suárez’s overall numbers this season are nothing to sneeze at. He’s 12-6 with a 3.05 ERA and 134 strikeouts. Any team would love to have that kind of production from a starter. The issue is that Suárez got off to such a great start to the year that his recent play since June 30 is being overshadowed by what he was able to accomplish in the first half of the season.
The Phillies are running out of time to get Suárez back on track with only 13 games left until the postseason begins.
Cristopher Sánchez taking hold of Phillies’ No. 3 starter role
Cristopher Sánchez has been a pleasant surprise for the Phillies this season. He’s enjoying a breakout year in which he earned his first All-Star selection, received a four-year extension and threw two complete games, including a complete game shutout against the Miami Marlins on June 28.
Sánchez is 10-9 with a 3.24 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 29 starts this season. The left-hander is at his best when he’s getting ground ball outs. He did experience a little hiccup in seven starts between July 4 and Aug. 11, but he seems to have recaptured his success from earlier in the season in his previous five starts.
There’s no question as to who the better pitcher has been over the last month for the Phillies between Suárez and Sánchez. With the postseason around the corner, Sánchez could be a part of the Phillies’ three-man rotation with Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Suárez needs to figure things out quickly if he wants to contribute in the postseason and remain in the discussion as the No. 3 starter in 2025.