‘I believe we can line him up’: Thomson confident Suarez will be ready for London originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
When Phillies lefthander Ranger Suarez intercepted a line drive with his thumb against the Cardinals last Saturday night, the following sentence seemed improbable at best:
Suarez (9-1, 1.70) will start against the Mets Saturday in London on what would have been his normally scheduled day.
“I believe we can line him up,” manager Rob Thomson said. A further sign that the team is confident he’ll be ready is that Spencer Turnbull, who would have filled in if necessary, was available out of the bullpen for Wednesday’s series finale against the Brewers at Citizens Bank Park.
Suarez was originally scheduled to throw a bullpen Wednesday, but opted instead to play catch, including long toss, in the outfield. He’ll throw a light bullpen Friday at London Stadium. It helps that he’ll have two extra days of rest because of the built-in off days that preceded the long flight to Europe.
Thomson has made it clear he’s feels fortunate that the 28-year-old, who has been one of baseball’s best pitchers so far this season, wasn’t seriously injured. “That could have been really bad,” he said.
Taijuan Walker (3-1, 5.73) will start Sunday.
NOTABLE: Catcher J.T. Realmuto, who took a foul tip off his protective cup and was also involved in a home plate collision Tuesday night, was out of the lineup as a result Wednesday. “He’s sore all over,” Rob Thomson said. “I just need to give him a day off. That will give him three in a row and he’ll be fine for the weekend.”
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