Former Phillie Deals on the Mound with Ease in Phillies Loss

The Philadelphia Phillies played their second-to-last regular-season game tonight at home against the Minnesota Twins, whom they took game one against on Friday night in a 3-1 victory.

The Phillies tonight allowed the Twins to even the series at a game apiece, as the lack of offense and pitching struggles from Ranger Suarez and Max Lazar led to a 5-0 victory for Minnesota tonight, their first time being shut out at home this season.

Recent struggles from Harrison Bader and J.T. Realmuto continued as the Phillies head into the playoffs.

Abel Returns to Philadelphia

The Twins threw former Phillie Mick Abel on the mound tonight in hopes of dealing against his former club, in which he was developed after being selected 15th overall by the Phillies in 2020.

Mick was absolutely electric tonight, unfortunately for the wrong ball club. In six innings pitched, Abel threw only 73 pitches, 53 for strikes. He struck out nine and, with no runs given up, Mick lowered his ERA from 7.36 all the way down to 6.32, all against his former club.

Though this game does not mean life or death for the Phillies, struggling to hit their former prospect’s heat is nothing short of disappointing, especially since the Phillies’ offense thrives against the fastball over 95 mph.

Ranger Leaves Early

The Phillies, on their side of the mound, sent out Suarez to get his last start before the postseason in hopes of keeping him warm and loose. During his appearance, Ranger gave up nine hits and three runs tonight. Though the Phillies are in a great place before the postseason, tonight’s start for Suarez was not only uninspiring but also concerning, as Ranger left the game after only 4 1/3 innings.

During the fourth inning, with one out, a beam off the bat of Ryan Jeffers hit Suarez right in the thigh, causing him to leave the game. The play was quickly diagnosed as a left inner thigh contusion. Suarez was seen laughing shortly after.

This could be a scary moment for the Phillies, as they are not only two games away from the postseason, but the Phillies are already down a pitcher in Zack Wheeler, who left the season with a blood clot in his shoulder. Suarez is a key piece to this Phillies staff, as he is a historically strong postseason performer.

Though there is much concern regarding Ranger’s health and wellness, the Phillies, after all, have the bye week, giving him as much extra time as they can.

Bohm Remains on a Heater

The Phillies have seen a number of batters fall into recent skids coming out of nowhere, which leads to concern and frustration, as the Phillies will not see live pitching from another club for a week, only exacerbating the slumps. One Phillie, however, has denied some fans and critics, as he has caught a hot streak as of late.

Alec Bohm, who had had a roller coaster of a season up until recently, has found himself in a great position right as we enter October, as another two-hit game assures that this streak he has found himself in is for real. Bohm’s two more hits have raised his batting average all the way up to .287 on the year.

This success would not have come into question throughout this season, as Bohm dealt with not only injuries, but also backlash from fans who wanted him out of Philadelphia at the trade deadline. Whatever the story may be, Bohm has made an impact of late and has gained trust going into the playoffs.

#2 Seed Locked for Philadelphia

With the loss tonight, the Phillies are officially locked into the second seed in the National League. In order to have taken the first seed, the Phillies would have needed to sweep the Twins and rely on the Cincinnati Reds to sweep the Milwaukee Brewers, which sounded like a long shot to begin with.

This is no issue, however, as the Phillies will play hard wherever, whenever it’s their turn to play.

With the Reds and Mets both getting the win, the final Wild Card spot comes down to Game 162. The Reds control their own destiny. If they beat the Brewers or the Mets lose in Miami, they will clinch the six seed. However, if the Reds lose and the Mets win, New York will head back to the postseason.

The Phillies wrap up the regular season tomorrow as Cristopher Sanchez gets his final start before October at 3:00 ET. The Phillies will activate Trea Turner prior to tomorrow’s game. The plan is to have him in for a few innings to get his feet wet prior to Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday.

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