Phillies relieved Suarez avoided serious injury to left hand originally published on NBC Sports Philadelphia
To the wizened Scouts, tanned and calloused from hours spent under the relentless sun, it's a clichéd warning recited thousands of times, delivered almost mechanically.
“If only we could stay healthy…” and they mentally rap their knuckles on wood.
This is not just the scouts' story — it's the hope and concern of every baseball official employed by any championship-contending team, and it's one of the few things where the old and new thinking are completely aligned.
So when left-hander Ranger Suarez — the Phillies' top starter through the first two months of this season, and maybe even in all of baseball — had to withdraw from his start against the Cardinals on Saturday night after being hit on the base of his right thumb by a liner hit by St. Louis left fielder Alec Burleson, baseball's best performance suddenly seemed a little in jeopardy.
Suarez, who entered the game 9-1 with a 1.75 ERA, retired the first five batters he faced before Burleson unleashed a 106.1 mph fastball. The 28-year-old Suarez smacked the ball down to get the runner out but visibly winced as he came off the field.
“We were just focused on making sure he was OK and then winning the game,” first baseman Bryce Harper said when asked about the atmosphere in the dugout after Suarez was removed for testing. “That's it. You don't really think about it too much. The Rangers are our horses and our guys. But you have to understand that winning the game and winning the series was very important to us.”
The Phillies won 6-1 and clinched the series thanks to another outstanding performance from their relief pitchers.
But the big story is…
X-rays on Suarez's hand showed no abnormalities and while he may miss a turn, medical staff don't expect him to miss much more than that, and the smile on Rob Thomson's face as he walked into the post-match interview room spoke for itself, as well as his words.
“We've got to wait a few days for the swelling to go down and see if he can grip a baseball, if he's ready to pitch again,” the manager said. “Right now we feel pretty fortunate, definitely. If he doesn't make it to the next round, that's OK too. So we'll keep an eye on the situation and make sure it doesn't turn into something else.”
After the game, Suarez seemed playful, almost elated. In the middle of the clubhouse is an island where players traditionally do their post-game interviews. Instead of walking over to his spot, he ducked under the counter and, when reporters asked him to show them how swollen his wrist was, playfully hid it under his T-shirt.
“It was a hard liner, but the moment the ball hit me I knew I was OK,” he said through translator Diego D'Aniello. “But the moment the ball hit me I knew I couldn't continue. Why push myself? The season had just started and there was no reason to push myself.”
“Obviously, I was lucky considering the speed of that liner. If it had hit any other part of my body or any bone, I would have definitely broken a bone, but luckily it hit all my muscles.”
Right-hander Jose Luis took to the mound in the third inning to give former starter Spencer Turnbull a chance to go through his usual warm-up routine, before Turnbull pitched in the fourth inning. Overall, five relief pitchers worked the final seven innings, allowing just five hits, no walks and one run while striking out 11 batters.
Though concerns about Suarez remain, there was plenty to cheer from the sellout crowd of 44,648 at Citizens Bank Park, who are coming off a two-game winning streak against a resurgent Cardinals team that had won five in a row but will have to try to salvage one win in Sunday night's final game.
The Phillies have overcome some adversity already this season — shortstop Trea Turner (hamstring injury) has been out for a month and was batting .343 while on the disabled list — but that hasn't slowed them down much as Edmundo Sosa is playing the best game of his major league career.
If Suarez has to miss a start, Thompson has all but announced that Turnbull will take his place. Turnbull began the season in the starting rotation while Taijuan Walker (shoulder) was sidelined, going 2-0 with a 1.67 ERA in six starts.
He pitched a dominant performance Saturday night, striking out six in three innings and allowing only one base runner on an error. The question is how long it will take for him to be fully recovered and able to play long games again.
“He really fired us up,” Thompson said. “Three innings, 50 pitches. I wasn't comfortable putting him back on the mound because he hadn't thrown that many in almost three weeks. But if he has to pitch the Rangers' next start, I'm OK with 80 pitches.”
It also helps that the Phillies aren't under pressure to make a decision right away. They have Thursday and Friday off for the trip to London, and then have another day free on Monday after playing two games against the Mets at London Stadium, so they might not have to fill the spot until June 13 when they face the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
They also have starting depth that most teams would envy with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Christopher Sanchez, plus the ability to beat opponents in any matchup.
Harper scored 14 points.Number In the seventh inning, he hit a home run to right second base, a two-run homer that added glamour to the game.
And with the Braves loss, the Phillies extended their lead in the National League East to 7.5 games.
The Phillies are on track to achieve their unofficial “make the World Series or bust” motto — assuming, of course, they stay healthy.
