PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies are trying to stay sharp before Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday.
They’ll play either the Mets or Brewers at 4:08 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park.
On Wednesday, the Phils played an intrasquad game. Bryce Harper and Trea Turner served as captains for one team. J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber served as captains for the other. The game, which had more than pride on the line — though the team wouldn’t say what prize would go to the winners — was closed to reporters and fans, so we hopped into Reddit on Wednesday afternoon to answer your Phillies questions. The full AMA can be read here.
Have you heard anything about Ranger Suárez and his game plan for this series? I assume Cristopher Sánchez starts over him, but does Ranger get used as the first reliever in the NLDS? If they move onto the NLCS, does he start Game 4 or do they roll three-man and use him in the bullpen? — practicallybert
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said this weekend that Suárez will be the team’s No. 4 starter, so he will pitch Game 4 of the NLDS, if necessary. This year, Philadelphia will need four starters in the NLDS because there isn’t an extra off-day. But there’s no question Suárez’s performance since returning from the IL has been concerning. His command hasn’t been there. The velocity hasn’t been there, either. He is just 2-3 with a 5.74 ERA (20 earned runs in 31 1/3 innings) in seven starts since he rejoined the rotation on Aug. 24.
Regardless, I suspect the Phillies will have a quick hook on Suárez in the postseason.
