Ranger Suárez unravels, offense goes quiet as Phillies fall to Angels, 8-2, in series finale

Ranger Suárez took a step toward the dugout on Sunday afternoon, believing his fastball had caught enough of the strike zone to finish the second inning. Instead, it was ball four. Mike Trout took off his shin guard, made his way to first base, and the Phils’ 8-2 loss to the Angels began to unravel.

The bases-loaded walk helped turn a one-run inning into a five-run frame as Suárez allowed a three-run double to Taylor Ward after he thought he struck out Trout. The Phillies opened the season’s second half by dropping two of three to the Angels, who are expected to be sellers later this month at the trade deadline.

Suárez allowed six runs and lasted just 4⅓ innings as the Phils’ starting pitchers against the Angels — Jesús Luzardo, Taijuan Walker, and Suárez — each failed to complete five innings. Suárez was bitten by a borderline call, but he did receive a favorable strike call earlier in the count that Trout thought was ball four.

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“That was the one pitch I executed today,” Suárez said of the fastball that was ruled ball four. “The rest of them were in the middle of the zone and got punished. It was just one of those days. I didn’t have the command with me.”

It was the first time Suárez failed to finish five innings since he was roughed up in May after returning from the injured list. Until Sunday, he’d been excellent, as he posted a 1.46 ERA over his previous 12 starts.

“He just didn’t have his command today,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.

Thomson said he is not concerned about Suárez. But his performance is worth monitoring as last season Suárez had a 1.81 ERA through 80 innings and a 5.32 the rest of the way. He entered Sunday with 80 innings pitched in 2025. Suarez’s pitch count was limited in his last start before the All-Star Break but he said he feels “physically fine.”

“It’s about turning the page over,” said Suárez, who threw 100 pitches on Sunday. “We can’t go back and revisit things. I think we have to focus on what’s next.”

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The Phillies are still in first place — their lead trimmed Sunday to just a half-game over the Mets — but they have a losing record (20-21) since June 1. An already thin lineup became thinner with the loss of Alec Bohm and the bullpen remains a concern. And the schedule is about to become challenging as nine of their next 12 games are against the Red Sox, Yankees, and Tigers.

Thomson said Bohm is likely to miss three or four weeks with a fractured rib. His absence should lead to increased opportunities for Otto Kemp, who went 2-for-4 with a homer Sunday. The Phillies fielded a lineup Sunday where the final five hitters — Brandon Marsh, Kemp, Max Kepler, Rafael Marchan, and Bryson Stott — have an OPS below the league average.

Trea Turner has hit around .300 all season, Kyle Schwarber is on pace for 50 homers, and Bryce Harper seems to be back to form.

But the rest of the lineup has been underwhelming as a team built to score is below the league average in runs per game since June 1. Stott walked twice on Sunday but is hitting .200 since May 1; Kepler has one extra-base hit in his last 66 at-bats; and Marsh’s OPS (. 674) is more than 100 points lower than in his last two seasons combined.

“There’s a reason why there’s nine guys in the lineup,” Kemp said. “It’s kind of hard to have your top three guys produce every night and win baseball every night with just those three guys. It’s a full-team effort. Saturday night was a good example of pass the baton and give it to your main guys. It’s a team effort. As long as we get that full lineup going, I think we’ll have a lot of success.”

The Phillies have nine more games before the July 31 trade deadline. They have needs to address. But they can’t replace half their lineup. For the Phils to get to where they want to go this October, they’ll need some improvement from the players they already have.