Ranger Suarez, JT Realmuta lead Phillies in rout of Marlins in Miami – NBC10 Philadelphia

Phillies get good cheer from Suarez and Realmut in rout of Marlins originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

MIAMI — If the Phillies are going to continue to fight and make a serious attempt to end their 10-year postseason drought, they will need their injured players to return healthy and productive in the coming weeks.

They will also need to get more from proven veterans JT Realmut and Nick Castellanos.

A little help from the front office at the Aug. 2 trade deadline will also be needed.

On the final Saturday before the All-Star break, the Phillies were blessed to get what they would need for the long haul in the form of a promising start from Ranger Suarez and a big day at the plate from Realmouth.

Suarez came off the injured list and pitched five scoreless innings while Realmuto continued to swing the bat as the Phillies swept the oft-troubled Miami Marlins in two straight with a 10-0 victory in South Florida.

The win improved the Phillies to 48-43 heading into the final game before the All-Star break. They trail St. Louis by a half game for control of the third and final NL wild card playoff spot.

Eight games into their three-city, nine-game road trip, the Phils are 4-4 with a chance to beat the Marlins on Sunday. Aaron Nola will play against lefty Trevor Rogers.

The Phillies hope to have pitcher Zach Eflin (sore right knee), second baseman Jean Segura (broken right index finger) and shortstop Bryce Harper (broken left thumb) back. in Coming weeks.

Suarez was on the injured list for just 16 days after battling back spasms. He was inconsistent, especially with command, before the injury. If his work Saturday was a preview of things to come, Phyllis will be very happy. The left-hander scattered four hits, walked none and struck out four. He was economical with his innings and needed just 65 to complete five innings. Given Suarez’s rest, the team had him on a field restriction.

“Huge,” manager Rob Thomson said of the potential lift Suarez could give the team after the break. “We saw what he did last year in the starting rotation. He really picked us up. It looks like he’s close to getting back to where he was.”

Suarez knows how important he will be to the Phils down the stretch.

“Si, si,” he said in Spanish through translator Diego Etedga. “Of course. But not only me. Everyone has to do their part to make the playoffs.”

The Phillies swept the Marlins in Miami for the first time since 2019 with a dominant 10-0 win. Led by home runs from JT Realmuth, Rhys Hoskins, Didi Gregorius (his first of the year) and Kyle Schwarber. Hear from Rob Thomson and the PGL team on what this means for the guys heading into the All-Star break.

The bullpen has been excellent of late, and it was once again behind Suarez. Followed by three innings Friday night and four more to record the win.

Realmuto is back from three days off – he didn’t make the two-game trip to Toronto before Thursday’s scheduled day off — and played two big games in Miami, his former job. He had three hits and struck out in a gutsy rush 2-1 win on Friday night.

Realmuto gave the Phils a 2-0 lead on Saturday with a two-run, two-run homer in the fourth. Two innings later, he doubled and scored a run as the Phillies rallied for three runs to close the book on rookie Max Meyer’s big league debut.

After the game, Realmuta said he felt fresh after the break.

“It’s not often, if ever, that you get three days off in the middle of the season without an injury,” he said. “My body feels better than if I played these three days.”

Could that convince Thomson to give Realmuto some rest in the second half? You know, a cut here and there can make a rose taller.

“You always take that into consideration,” Thomson said. “(Backup Garrett) Stubbs is playing so well. Every time he comes out, he gives us a chance to win.

“So maybe yes. We will monitor his workload.”

Realmuta was quick to point out that he started swinging the bat well before his three-day break.

“I don’t know,” he said on the subject of getting a little more rest. “I don’t necessarily think the last couple of games have been because of rest. I felt good at the plate in that last game in St. Louis. I only had two days to think about that swing in St. Louis and bring it into this series.”

Realmuto is 11 for 30 with four RBIs in eight games against the Marlins this season.

With five hits in those first two games in Miami, his average hit .251, his highest since June 5th. His OPS is .717, his highest since June 4th.

After the Phillies rallied for three runs in the sixth, they were going to be tough to beat. They are 39-16 when they score four or more runs this season.

In addition to Realmouth, three other Phillies hit homers. Rhys Hoskins (#19) and Kyle Schwarber (#29) had solo shots. Didi Gregorius hit his first two-run homer of the season in the eighth.

The Phils finished the day with 15 hits en route to a double-digit hitting streak. They averaged just two runs over the first seven games of the road trip.

Now they look to enter the All-Star break with a bang.

“My goal every day is for each of these guys to leave the building feeling good,” Thomson said. “It’s the same goal for the All-Star break. Leave yourself well, rest, go for it again.’