After taking a 106-mph screamer to the hand, Ranger Suárez recorded the final out of the second inning on Saturday, tossing the ball to first base. He grimaced as he walked to the dugout and was removed from the game for additional evaluation.
The Phillies had scored three runs in the first inning when Suárez left, and he had no hits or walks through two innings, striking out two on only 23 pitches.
The Phillies defeated the Cardinals 6-1 in a comfortable victory. Ironically, Spencer Turnbull won the game with three hitless innings and six strikeouts out of the bullpen.
According to MLB.com’s Paul Casella, X-rays on Suárez’s throwing hand came back negative, and the Phillies believe they got away with one. Despite the negative results, his thumb is still swollen, and the injury is on a daily basis.
“The ball hit me close to my thumb, but luckily, it didn’t catch any bone,” Suárez said via interpreter after the game, according to Casella. “So everything is fine on that end. Obviously, that was a hard liner at me, but the moment I felt the ball strike me, I knew everything was going to be fine.”
Phillies already have the ideal Ranger Suárez replacement.
It’s fantastic to see Suárez in high spirits, as he always is, following such a scare. Even with the excellent news of no fracture, he may still miss time. Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer clarified the situation of a potential rotation place opening.
If there’s one thing baseball fans know, it’s that injuries happen and it takes a long season to recover. Spencer Turnbull might be the one to pick Suárez up when he’s down, just like he did when the Phillies’ $18 million guy Taijuan Walker went down.
Manager Rob Thomson took note of this after Turnbull replaced Suárez on Saturday.
“Turnbull really picked us up tonight,” Thomson told Casella. “… If he does have to make Ranger’s start, I am comfortable with him at 80 pitches, five [innings] — something like that.”
Turnbull, who was shifted to the bullpen after Walker was removed off the injured list on April 28, has been a revelation for the Phillies (subscription required) and one of the most underappreciated off-season acquisitions. Turnbull was 2-0 in his six starts, with a 1.67 ERA, 32 1/3 innings pitched, and 36 strikeouts. Batters were only hitting.148 against him. The ERA has risen to 2.64 since coming out of the bullpen, but fans are eager to see what he can do for the team in the future.
Suárez’s next start would be in the first game of the London Series against the New York Mets next weekend, where he would pitch on a global scale. If Turnbull has to step in, fans may be satisfied either way.
Leave a Reply