Phillies fall to Ober and Twins, matching worst 7-game stretch of season originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
Four months ago, on a spring day in Clearwater, the Phillies hosted the Twins and a lineup of regulars struck out seven times in three innings against 6-foot-2 right-hander Bailey Ober.
“If he’s 95-96 (mph), good luck to everyone in the (AL) Central,” Bryce Harper said of the rising 29-year-old shortly after leaving Grapefruit League play.
Ober wasn’t 95-96 on Monday night at Minnesota and hasn’t been this season, but that didn’t matter after the first inning. Bryce Harper hit a two-run home run to give the Phillies a quick lead that they maintained until the bottom of the fifth, but Ober fooled most of the lineup with his changeup and cutter from there. He and two Twins relievers combined to retire 23 of the game’s final 24 Phillies batters, with the only base runner erased after two pitches in a 1-6-3 double play.
The Phillies lost 7-2 and are 63-37 in 100 games. They have lost five of seven, matching June 9-16 (London, Boston, Baltimore) as their worst stretch of the season. The first night back from the break, they scored seven runs early and the bullpen faltered late. In two of the last three, they didn’t get it right.
Ranger Suarez returned to the rotation after missing the All-Star Game due to back tightness and threw 79 pitches in 5⅓ innings. He had a long third inning, but was otherwise clean through the first four, then the game changed when he allowed three consecutive hits to open the bottom of the fifth. The Phillies went up one to go down one and the Twins made an insurance run in the seventh against Seranthony Dominguez, then three more in the eighth against an erratic Yunior Marte.
Regarding Suarez, the most important thing is that he looked healthy. His sinker averaged almost 3 mph more than in his last outing before the All-Star break. He’s obviously not pitching at the level of his first 15 games, an unsustainable streak even for Hall of Famers. Suarez had a 1.75 ERA through June 24 and a 6.67 ERA in five starts since then. Overall, he is 10-5 with a 2.87 ERA.
Although they lost for the third time in four games outside of the All-Star break, the Phillies lost no ground in the NL East as the Braves lost their third straight. The Phils’ lead in the division remains at 8 1/2 games.
Zack Wheeler returns Tuesday night after missing the start due to back spasms. It’s his first in 14 days and he threw 76 pitches in that one, so he’ll likely be limited to a similar number. The Phillies are hoping Brandon Marsh returns after missing Monday’s game with right elbow soreness.
