Phillies’ rally comes up just short in 11-9 loss
May 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first base Bryce Harper (3) reacts after hitting a flying out to center during the tenth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Ranger Suarez made his long-awaited return to action in the 3rd and final game of the series against the Diamondbacks.
Despite the game avoiding a rain delay, Ranger struggled heavily; he wouldn’t make it past the 4th inning and totaled 7 earned runs. Weston Wilson‘s 3-run shot helped spark the Phillies’ comeback in the 6th.
Despite the offense’s willingness to bring the team back into the game, the bullpen’s struggle proved to be too much late in the game, leading to a disappointing 11-9 loss in 10 innings.
The lineup tallies 14 hits
It was a great day all around for the Phillies lineup with 14 total base hits and 5 players with 2-hit days.
It was Wilson who stole the show on the offensive attack against the D-Backs. Wilson got the start at 1st base with Bryce Harper slotting into DH and did not disappoint, going 2-5 with the 3-run homer in the 6th inning that jumpstarted the Phillies’ comeback.
The aforementioned Harper was great today as well. He also got 2 hits going 2-5 and got the scoring started with a solo shot in the first inning. This was a big one for Harper as it was his first since April 18th.
Despite rallying from down 7-2 to cut the lead down to 1, there was still work to be done going into the final half inning.
The Phils entered the bottom of the 9th down now 8-6 thanks to a RBI double from Randal Grichuk in the top of the inning. After Trea Turner and Harper both went down on strikes, the Phillies had some of their best 2-out hitting we’ve seen out of the team all season.
It started with Kyle Schwarber immediately afterwards crushing a home run to cut the lead to just 1. Singles from Brandon Marsh and J.T. Realmuto then set up Alec Bohm to tie the game with an RBI single. It’s obviously been a rough start to Bohm’s season, but he was able to come through in a huge way for the team today.
Unfortunately, down 3 in the bottom of the 10th, the bats could only muster up 1 run off a sac fly from Max Kepler.
Rough return for Ranger
Suarez took the mound for the first time all season and looked very rusty against Arizona.
After a quiet first 2 innings, the wheels fell off for Suarez in the 3rd inning, where he’d allow 3 runs thanks to hits from Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll. The 4th inning was even worse; he’d only get 2 outs before being removed and would be charged with 4 more earned runs.
The outing resurfaces the debate that’s been raging for the last few weeks between Ranger and Taijuan Walker. Walker, despite his great start, has been moved to the bullpen for now, but if Ranger continues to struggle, it will put the Phillies in an interesting position.
After that, it was off to the bullpen, which, for the most part, was really good today. Orion Kerkering, Jordan Romano, and Matt Strahm all pitched scoreless innings in relief of Suarez. Heading into extras, the bullpen had bought 13 outs for the Phillies to keep them in the game.
The good fortune came to an end in the top of the 9th when Jose Alvarado entered the game. Despite what has been an incredible start for Alvarado, he’d end up allowing 3 earned runs. His first made it 8-6 in the top of the 9th, but things really went poorly when he came back out for the 10th. He’d give up 2 more runs and would be removed after just 1 out in the inning to cap off a frustrating outing.
Carlos Hernandez came on and also gave up an earned run as the game slipped further out of control for the Phillies.
Who’s next?
Despite the frustrating loss today, the Phillies have been playing great baseball as of late. It’s now 3 straight series victories, and they’ll seek a 4th as they visit the Rays from Tuesday to Thursday. All season, the Rays have been an extremely streaky team. They won 5 straight, then lost 4 straight, and will be riding back-to-back wins to start the 3-game series.
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Ethan Whitney
Ethan is a writer for Philly Sports Reports and a Color Commentator for Rally Sports Network. He has been a massive fan of all Philly Sports for as long as he can remember and wants to share that passion with the world. He is looking for a long career in the sports media sphere.
