When Phillies lefthander Ranger Suarez intercepted a line drive with his thumb against the Cardinals on Saturday night, the following sentence was unlikely at best:
Suarez (9-1, 1.70) will start against the Mets in London on Saturday, which would have been his customary day.
“I believe we can line him up,” manager Rob Thomson stated. Spencer Turnbull, who would have filled in if needed, was accessible from the bullpen for Wednesday’s series finale against the Brewers at Citizens Bank Park, indicating that the team is optimistic he will be ready.
Suarez was supposed to throw a bullpen on Wednesday, but instead chose to play catch in the outfield, including long toss. He’ll pitch a light bullpen Friday at London Stadium. It helps that he’ll get two extra days of rest thanks to the built-in off days before the arduous travel to Europe.
Thomson has stated that he feels fortunate that the 28-year-old, who has been one of baseball’s greatest pitchers this season, was not gravely harmed. “That could have been really bad,” he stated.
Taijuan Walker (3-1, 5.73) will start on Sunday.
NOTABLE: Catcher J.T. Realmuto was out of the lineup Wednesday after taking a foul tip off his protective cup and being engaged in a home plate collision the night before. “He’s sore all over,” Rob Thomson explained. “I just need to give him the day off. That will give him three in a row, and he’ll be good for the weekend.”
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