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As the 2025 MLB regular season barrels toward its final stretch, the Philadelphia Phillies once again find themselves right in the thick of the playoff race-where they\u2019ve grown comfortable in recent years. They\u2019re backed by a bona fide MVP candidate in Kyle Schwarber, whose power and clutch-hitting have given Philly a relentless edge, and longtime anchor Bryce Harper, who continues to lead with the poise and fire of a future Hall of Famer.<\/p>\n
The team is oozing with confidence, and perhaps most importantly, their pitching staff is finally rounding back into something resembling full strength. But not everything is trending upward.<\/p>\n
One troubling storyline? Ranger Su\u00e1rez has hit an ice-cold patch-and it’s come at just about the worst possible time for a team with serious October ambitions.<\/p>\n
Su\u00e1rez, the lefty who had been a steady, at times spectacular piece in the Phillies’ rotation earlier this season, delivered another subpar outing on Tuesday night, this time in a 6-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The numbers tell the story: 10 hits, six earned runs, two walks, three strikeouts across 5 1\/3 innings.<\/p>\n
That performance wasn\u2019t an outlier-it\u2019s part of a broader, downward trend. Over his last six starts, Su\u00e1rez has been hit hard, allowing 45 hits and 24 earned runs, resulting in a ballooned ERA of 6.11 during that span.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not just the box scores raising eyebrows. Tuesday’s game also saw Su\u00e1rez tangle with home plate umpire Will Traynor in a visible on-field disagreement. Manager Rob Thomson didn\u2019t mince words afterward, making it clear he expects more composure from the 29-year-old veteran.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gotta shut that down,\u201d Thomson said postgame. \u201cYou gotta stay focused, stay composed and keep pitching.<\/p>\n
Those things are going to happen\u2026 I don’t know if they’re accurate or not. But, that\u2019s something you can\u2019t control and you\u2019ve just got to keep pitching.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomson\u2019s message was clear: the Phillies need Su\u00e1rez to lock in-not get lost in frustration.<\/p>\n
Big picture, there’s still belief within the organization that Su\u00e1rez can course-correct. His full-season numbers aren\u2019t disastrous-he holds an 8-6 record with a 3.28 ERA and 101 strikeouts over 112.1 innings.<\/p>\n
That stat line is a reminder of how good he was for much of the first half. At his best, he\u2019s a cunning lefty with elite command and real playoff experience under his belt.<\/p>\n
But with Zack Wheeler leading the staff, Aaron Nola nearing a return, and stable contributions from Taijuan Walker and Jesus Luzardo, the Phillies have rotation depth. The question now is whether Su\u00e1rez can reestablish himself as part of the core group expected to lead the Phillies into-and through-October.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s still time, and his next start, slated for August 17 against the Washington Nationals, could go a long way in determining where he stands. For now, Su\u00e1rez remains on the bump, but his leash might be growing shorter. And for a team with eyes on another deep postseason run, every outing counts a little more than the last.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As the 2025 MLB regular season barrels toward its final stretch, the Philadelphia Phillies once again find themselves right in the thick of the playoff race-where they\u2019ve grown…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":78206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n