Suárez's solid return has Phils' rotation ready to roll

DENVER -- Ranger Suárez is not only a talent on the mound, he is a huge personality in the Phillies’ clubhouse.

The Phils are thrilled to have both back.

“Just having him in the locker room and being able to contribute every five days, I think for him mentally it feels a lot better,” Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs said after Saturday night’s 7-4 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. “For us, as far as winning goes, we were .500 in the middle of May without Ranger in our starting rotation. I think we’re in a pretty good spot now. To watch him pitch tonight just shows you what we can do in the future.”

Suárez made his 2023 debut on Saturday, following a two-month recovery from a strained left elbow. He allowed seven hits and three runs in four innings as the Phillies won their fifth consecutive game to move to 20-19.

It was his first big league appearance since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series, when he tossed five scoreless innings against the Astros.

“I felt good,” Suárez said through the team’s interpreter. “It didn’t really feel like it had been six months. The most important thing for me is that I felt healthy.”

It is not easy to pitch effectively after such a long layoff, of course. It can be especially difficult to make that comeback at Coors Field. Suárez threw more changeups and four-seam fastballs than sinkers on Saturday, which typically is the pitch he leans on most.

It’s just the way it went, he said.

“Pitching in this high elevation, your stuff isn’t going to do exactly what it normally does,” Stubbs said. “So for him to come out Day 1 and pitch this way, I thought it was awesome.”

“I thought he threw the ball well,” Bryce Harper said. “Not Ranger-esque, but it’s good to have him back.”

It’s good because it means the Phillies have solidified the front four in their rotation with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker and Suárez. Suárez was such a huge contributor in the 2022 postseason. He went 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA and one save in five appearances (three starts). He got the save in Game 5 of the NLCS, when the Phillies clinched their first trip to the World Series since 2009.

The Phillies commemorated the moment in a hallway outside their clubhouse with a ceiling-to-floor photo of Suárez and J.T. Realmuto celebrating the final out. It is one of five new acrylic photos that honor some of the greatest moments in franchise history.

The Suárez/Realmuto photo is the only one in color. The others are black and white, emphasizing the latest achievement: the Whiz Kids celebrating the 1950 NL pennant, Tug McGraw raising his arms after striking out Willie Wilson to win the 1980 World Series, Mitch Williams jumping onto Darren Daulton after clinching the 1993 NL pennant, and Carlos Ruiz racing toward Brad Lidge after winning the 2008 World Series.

A banner above the photos reads: Make More History.

Suárez wants to be a piece of another run. It will take a team effort, of course. The Phillies scored four runs in the first inning Saturday when Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner walked four batters and allowed two singles. Feltner left the game in the second when Nick Castellanos hit a line drive off his head. Reports indicate that he is OK, although he is being treated and monitored at a local hospital.

Connor Brogdon, Andrew Bellatti, Jeff Hoffman and Gregory Soto combined to allow one unearned run in the final five innings. Stubbs singled in the eighth to score an insurance run. Harper crushed a two-run homer in the ninth to give the Phillies a three-run lead.

It was Harper’s second homer of the season, and an especially satisfying one, too. Several young Rockies fans were in Harper’s ear as he stood in the on-deck circle in the ninth inning, although it might have been happening throughout the game. One fan said he told Harper that he bet that he would strike out in the ninth, but it’s hard to believe it was just that.

Harper had a few things to say to those fans as he crossed home plate.

“It’s always fun,” Harper said. “You can leave it at that.”