Rocky start in Arizona a first for Ranger

PHOENIX -- Ranger Suárez struggled on a night the Phillies needed him to be perfect.

Perfect pitching seems to be the Phillies’ only path forward these days. Suárez, however, allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings in Wednesday night’s 4-2 loss to the D-backs at Chase Field. He did not pitch terribly, but Philly needed better because its offense has been silent for more than a week. It is why they have lost the first two games of a three-game series against the team with the worst record in the National League. It is why they have lost six of eight overall to fall 3 1/2 games behind the Braves in the National League East.

The Phillies had a two-game lead in the division on Aug. 8, having won their eighth consecutive game.

It seems so long ago now.

“Well, if you don’t play well, teams can make up ground very quickly on you,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said. “And we have not played well the last three series. We lost the series to the Dodgers, we lost the series to the Reds and now we’ve lost the series to the Diamondbacks. But it can all start over tomorrow. That’s the message: We’ve got to turn it around tomorrow. You can’t wait any longer. We’ve got to find a way to put some runs on the board.

“You’ve got to find a way. You’ve got to find a way to grind this out and turn it around tomorrow.”

Suárez allowed eight hits and four walks. He hit a batter and threw a wild pitch.

It was something different from Suárez, who has been one of the Phillies’ best stories this season. He got to Spring Training late because of a visa issue and sustained a quadriceps injury shortly upon arrival, which set him back a bit. He joined the Phillies in May, first pitching as a long man before becoming their closer following Héctor Neris and José Alvarado’s struggles. Suárez had a 1.74 ERA and four saves in nine relief appearances in July before the Phillies moved him into the rotation following Ian Kennedy’s arrival from Texas prior to the Trade Deadline.

Over his first three starts, Suárez allowed three hits and one run in 10 innings while striking out nine and walking six.

But Suárez found himself in trouble throughout the night against the D-backs.

His wild pitch led to Arizona’s first run in the third inning, which tied the game. He allowed a two-out single to D-backs pitcher Humberto Castellanos in the fourth, which scored a run to put the Phillies behind. It was the second hit Suárez allowed to Castellanos, who had only 11 plate appearances and one hit over five Minor League seasons.

Suárez walked Ketel Marte to start the fifth, and the inning got away from him. Only one run scored, but only because Connor Brogdon bailed out Suárez from a bases-loaded jam to end the inning.

“I didn’t have my best command,” Suárez said. “But I tried to do my best. I wanted to keep the game close and give us a chance to win the game, but obviously, it didn’t happen, so hopefully tomorrow we can do it.”

The Phillies had four hits Wednesday and have just seven hits in the series. They are batting .177 with a .553 OPS during their 2-6 stretch, while averaging just 2.4 runs per game.

The offense’s struggles could put a lot of pressure on somebody like Suárez, knowing one mistake could cost his team the game.

“Every time I go out there, I give my best,” he said. “Yeah, sometimes you go through bad moments, defensively or offensively or pitching. But I feel that’s going to change soon. We’re going to get better, defensively, offensively, pitching and we’re going to have better results.”

The Phillies have Zack Wheeler pitching Thursday’s series finale, which should help. The righty is tied for the Major League lead with three complete games and two shutouts. But the Phillies cannot count on that, either, knowing wiggle room is imperative.

“You’ve got to find a way to get him some runs,” Girardi said.