Philadelphia Phillies Cy Young Candidate Named Player 'Who'll Have Biggest Impact'
![Jul 12, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) throws a pitch against the Oakland Athletics in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Jul 12, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) throws a pitch against the Oakland Athletics in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4893,h_2752,x_0,y_246/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_phillies/01j4n46nd28182gw9dfs.jpg)
There aren't any excuses for how the Philadelphia Phillies have played throughout the past few weeks, but there's some context missing when talking about this team. 2-8 in their last 10 games, the Phillies simply just have to be better than they've been.
Only 5.5 games ahead in the National League East, they're starting to slip away a bit in the division. Losing this division would be one of the biggest chokes in Philadelphia sports history and a concerning sign as they head into October.
The chances of them making the postseason almost seem guaranteed, but that's only if they figure it out at some point. If they continue to play this type of way for the remainder of the year, there's a very good chance that they'll also miss the playoffs, despite how outrageous that sounds right now.
They've dealt with some injuries, but that doesn't excuse some of the play they've shown over the past month. However, the loss of Ranger Suarez has been a tough one and it's uncertain when he'll return. He's dealing with back issues at the moment, which is a tough injury to recover from.
With the playoff race getting much closer than anybody anticipated a few weeks ago, Suarez will be needed to win the division.
That's exactly why Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report named him one of the injured players who'll have a big impact on the 2024 playoff race.
"Through 14 starts, he had a 1.77 ERA and had emerged as one of the top candidates for NL Cy Young. Phillies hitters sure did love it when Suárez was on the bump, too, giving him at least five runs of support in 13 of those 14 games, winning all 13 of those contests...
"Somehow, they still have the best record in the National League. That cushion is all but gone, though. They could be one more bad week away from losing their grip on a first-round bye, and might even blow their spot atop the NL East altogether. You can't rush lower back injuries, but the Phillies need first-half-of-the-season Suárez back ASAP, if only to provide some sort of slump-busting spark before it's too late."
While there's truth to some of that, the Phillies have more than enough to get the job done, even if he doesn't pitch.
It's tough to lose somebody who was a Cy Young candidate for much of the campaign, but it's something they have to deal with.
Still, hopefully, their left-hander, with a 2.87 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 119 1/3 innings pitched, will be back in the near future.