The Phillies had been dealt a scare over the weekend when Ranger Suarez took a comeback line drive off his throwing hand. Whereas that raised preliminary concern a couple of potential injured record stint, the southpaw prevented any fractures.
Suarez performed catch with out subject right now and is scheduled for a bullpen session on Wednesday, supervisor Rob Thomson informed reporters (by way of the MLB.com harm tracker). The Phils will know after tomorrow’s throwing session whether or not Suarez can take the ball for his subsequent begin. The 28-year-old could be lined up reverse Sean Manaea and the Mets on Saturday in London.
Arguably one of the best pitcher within the majors by way of two months, Suarez carries an MLB-leading 1.70 ERA over 74 innings. He has punched out 28.5 p.c of batters confronted whereas operating a superb 53.7 p.c ground-ball price. Opposing hitters have turned in a pitiful .167/.225/.261 slash line over 277 journeys to the plate. Suarez, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Cristopher Sánchez have all been glorious, giving the Phillies maybe the highest rotation in MLB.
That’s one in every of myriad causes the Phils have constructed a seven-game lead over the Braves within the NL East. Philadelphia’s 43-19 file matches the Yankees’ mark for one of the best within the majors. They haven’t missed a beat regardless of shedding Trea Turner to a hamstring pressure precisely a month in the past.
Edmundo Sosa has excelled since taking on for Turner. Sosa is hitting .303/.367/.556 in 110 plate appearances. Each Statcast and Defensive Runs Saved have credited him with plus glovework in additional than 200 shortstop innings. Sosa’s efficiency has unquestionably been propped up by a .394 common on balls in play — his 6.4 p.c stroll price and 26.4 p.c strikeout proportion are every a bit worse than the respective league marks — however he’s hitting for lots extra energy than anticipated. Sosa has related on 4 homers and triples apiece and picked up 5 doubles in solely 33 video games.
Whereas he’s definitely enjoying properly sufficient to stay within the lineup, he’s not going to displace Turner when the latter is wholesome. Neither Bryson Stott nor Alec Bohm is providing a lot of a chance for Sosa to take over at second or third base. Whereas Sosa has by no means began an MLB recreation within the outfield, Thomson urged over the weekend the Phils may contemplate enjoying him in a nook outfield spot as soon as Turner comes again.
“Completely [a possibility],” the supervisor informed reporters (hyperlink by way of Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “If he retains hitting like this, it’s going to be powerful to maintain him out of the lineup. So, bought to discover a spot for him someplace.”
The Phils subsequently misplaced Brandon Marsh to the injured record, main them to name up the hot-hitting David Dahl to man left subject. Nick Castellanos is enjoying daily in proper subject. He has been a uncommon weak level within the Philadelphia lineup, struggling to a .214/.277/.342 line by way of 256 plate appearances.
Few would’ve anticipated the Phillies in search of methods to maintain Sosa within the lineup when he was acquired in a comparatively low-profile deadline deal two years in the past. Philadelphia landed the infielder from the Cardinals in a one-for-one swap sending lefty JoJo Romero to St. Louis. It has turned out to a be a surprisingly consequential commerce for each golf equipment, as Romero has developed into the Playing cards’ second-best reliever.
The Sosa acquisition is a pleasant feather within the cap for baseball operations president Dave Dombrowski and his workers. It’s one in every of a lot of sturdy pickups for the Dombrowksi-led entrance workplace, as one would count on on the highest crew within the Nationwide League. Because the Inquirer’s Scott Lauber explored over the weekend, the prior regime led by former basic supervisor Matt Klentak additionally deserves some credit score for placing a part of the roster in place.
Klentak, who’s now working within the Milwaukee entrance workplace, led baseball operations in Philadelphia for 5 seasons. He held the GM position between October 2015 and the tip of the 2020 marketing campaign. Whereas a rebuilding Phils membership didn’t make the postseason throughout Klentak’s tenure, Lauber observes that Philadelphia acquired Harper, Wheeler, J.T. Realmuto, and Cristopher Sánchez, in addition to drafting Stott and Bohm, throughout that five-year window.
As with all entrance workplace tenure, Klentak and his workers had some misses (e.g. choosing Mickey Moniak first general in an admittedly weak 2016 draft and increasing Scott Kingery). Nonetheless, there’s no query the Phils made a lot of key strikes within the 2010s which have contributed to the crew’s success over the primary half of this decade.
Lauber’s piece is a reminder that almost all organizations flip over entrance workplaces shortly sufficient that any good roster is a product of a number of regimes. Suarez and Nola had been first acquired throughout Ruben Amaro Jr.’s GM stint. The Phils have added Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Sosa, and overhauled the bullpen since Dombrowski has been on the helm. Dombrowski’s group has additionally hammered out new offers to maintain every of Nola, Realmuto and Wheeler in Philadelphia for the lengthy haul.
