PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies moved Ranger Suárez from the bullpen to the rotation in August because they got a new closer on July 30: Ian Kennedy.

The Phillies believed their six-player deal with Texas at the Trade Deadline solved a couple of issues. First, it filled two voids in the rotation with Kyle Gibson and Suárez. Second, they still had a closer in Kennedy.

But Kennedy has struggled since he joined the Phillies. He allowed a crippling two-strike, two-out, two-run home run to Rockies pinch-hitter Ryan McMahon to blow a one-run lead in the ninth inning in Thursday night’s 4-3 loss at Citizens Bank Park. Sam Hilliard followed with a towering homer to provide an insurance run, which was the difference.

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The loss dropped the Phillies to 3 1/2 games behind the Braves in the National League East with 22 games to play. If the Braves go just 11-12 the rest of the way, they will finish 85-77. The Phillies would need to go 15-7 to finish ahead of them.

“It hurts a lot,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said. “But we can’t change it. We’ve got to come out and play better tomorrow and find a way to put a streak together here.”

But can the Phillies get on a roll with Kennedy struggling like this in the ninth? He had a 2.51 ERA and 16 saves in 17 opportunities in 32 appearances with Texas, allowing five home runs in 32 1/3 innings. He has a 6.59 ERA and six saves in eight opportunities in 14 appearances with the Phillies, allowing an eye-popping six home runs in 13 2/3 innings.

“Just mistakes in the middle,” Girardi said. “You look at the [0-2] curveball he threw [to McMahon]. It looks like it’s almost middle-middle from where I’m sitting. It’s hard for me to tell where it is, in and out. But it’s just been mistakes over the plate.”

Still, Girardi issued a vote of confidence for Kennedy, who was unavailable to comment.

“We’ll look at it every day, but I mean, he’s our closer,” Girardi said. “He’s had some big saves for us, too, and some tough saves for us, too. Just tonight, I mean, he was one strike away. He got the first two guys out and executed pitches and then, after that, he didn’t. I don’t think that he’s not capable of doing it, because I’ve seen him do it. He just didn’t do it tonight.”

Héctor Neris is a reliever with closing experience. He lost his closer’s job earlier this season, but he has a 1.23 ERA in 29 appearances since July 4. He has struck out 42 and walked nine in 29 1/3 innings, allowing only two home runs in that stretch.

What about him?

“My feeling is I need Héctor to be able to deploy him when I need to,” Girardi said. “You’ve got to get to the ninth.”

Kennedy’s ninth spoiled another fantastic effort from Suárez, who allowed five hits, one run and one walk and struck out six in six innings. Suárez is 6-4 with a 1.38 ERA in 78 innings this season.

If the ERA looks impressive, it is. Only 42 pitchers in baseball history, including the Negro Leagues, have pitched more than 75 innings in a season and posted better than a 1.38 ERA, according to Baseball Reference.

Only 19 pitchers have done it in the past 100 years.

Suárez got pulled from Saturday’s start in Miami after five scoreless innings. Girardi said then that Suárez had tightness in his left triceps. It raised alarm bells in Philadelphia, but Girardi insisted all week that the southpaw was OK.

Suárez proved he is.

“I felt much, much better than my last time out in Miami,” Suárez said. “My arm felt really, really good. Hopefully [it’s behind me], hopefully. That’s what we want. Hopefully, yeah, it’s behind me and we can keep moving forward and keep pitching well.”

Bryce Harper hit a solo home run to left field in the first inning to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. It was his fourth homer in five games, his 17th homer of the season that either tied the game or gave the Phillies the lead, and his 30th homer overall as he builds his case for the NL Most Valuable Player Award. But the Phillies had just five hits the rest of the way.

So, yes, the Phillies needed to do more offensively against a team that is just 19-50 on the road.

But they still had a lead in the ninth. They were just one strike away.