Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Ranger Suárez underwent X-rays on Saturday night after taking an Alec Burleson comebacker to the hand during the second inning of a 6-1 win against the St. Louis Cardinals (box score). He was originally described as having a hand contusion. Although Suárez was suffering from swelling, the aforementioned X-rays came back negative, manager Rob Thomson told reporters after the game, including The Athletic's Matt Gelb.
It's unclear at this point if Suárez will have to miss any action.
Ranger Suarez is visibly in pain after being hit by a comebacker. pic.twitter.com/nPE5HUnxj3
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 1, 2024
Suárez, 28, threw two perfect innings and struck out a pair of batters. He entered the game having amassed a 1.75 ERA (230 ERA+) and a 4.81 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his first 11 starts. Suárez's short, but effective appearance on Saturday lowered his seasonal ERA to 1.70.
The Phillies were able to prevail, 6-1, thanks to an outstanding combined effort from their bullpen. Five relievers paired together to surrender one run on five hits and no walks over seven frames. They also struck out 11 batters, with Spencer Turnbull providing six of those punchouts over the course of three shutout innings. (It's worth noting that, should Suárez miss any time, Turnbull would seem like the most obvious candidate to slot into his rotation spot.)
MV3 to the second deck! 🚀#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/L3azar4JoI
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 2, 2024
Offensively, the Phillies were paced by Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm, both of whom drove in a pair of runs. Harper launched his 14th home run of the season, while Bohm recorded a two-run double in the first inning to give the Phillies an early 2-0 advantage. Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh also plated runs as part of their offensive outburst.
The Phillies are now 41-18 on the season, giving them Major League Baseball's best record. The New York Yankees, who entered Saturday with a 40-19 mark, are the only other team over 40 wins.
