The Philadelphia Phillies’ four-game winning streak came to an end on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, highlighting some vulnerabilities in the team’s previously dominant strength.
Entering the season with the most formidable starting rotation in baseball, the Phillies have faced challenges as Jesus Luzardo has struggled with command, Aaron Nola has dealt with an injury, and Zack Wheeler’s velocity has dropped. On Tuesday, it was Ranger Suarez who took the loss, as his recent struggles continued—allowing 45 hits and 24 earned runs for a 6.11 ERA over his last six starts.
“After getting through the first seven batters of the game without a hitch, Suarez allowed 12 of the next 21 batters to get on base via hits or walk,” Bob Cooney reported for NBC Sports Philadelphia. “There was a home run, a bunch of singles, a couple of doubles, a hit batter, a pair of walks. Pretty much any way there was to get on base, the Reds did it off Suarez, who fell to 8–6 and had his ERA climb to 3.28, the first time it’s been that high since his fourth start of the season.”
Throughout the game, Suarez’s frustration boiled over as he confronted home plate umpire Will Traynor multiple times. With growing concerns about Suarez’s recent struggles, Phillies manager Rob Thomson was critical of the pitcher’s behavior after the game.
“You got to shut that down,” Thomson said of Suarez’s confrontations with the umpire, per Cooney. “You got to stay focused, stay composed and keep pitching. Those things are going to happen. … I don’t know if they’re accurate or not. But, that’s something you can’t control and you’ve just got to keep pitching.”
Though some of the calls by the umpire did seem to be off, it’s clear that Suarez’s struggles are part of a bigger problem than a few missed strikes. And as the Phillies look for a solution, the manager won’t be shy about his expectations for composure on the mound.
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