The Phillies' record holder for most strikeouts in a major-league debut came back with a vengeance on Saturday night. It was just in May when Mick Abel tied Curt Simmons' 78-year-old record with nine strikeouts.
Abel returned to Citizens Bank Park for the first time since being included in the trade package that netted the Phillies closer Jhoan Duran.
Now a member of the Twins, Abel came out of the gate hot. In the first inning, he topped out at 98.9 MPH while facing Bryce Harper. Through his first three innings of work, he racked up seven strikeouts. He kept Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper quiet. The usual slugging duo went 0-5 against Abel with a walk (Harper).
The rookie right-hander threw six shutout innings and tied his season-high nine strikeouts from his record-tying debut.
Ranger in danger?
In the fifth inning, the Phillies' starter Ranger Suárez took a line drive between the legs off the bat of Ryan Jeffers. Statcast measured the speed of the liner at 106 MPH. Suárez was removed from the game with a left inner thigh contusion, according to the Phillies.
Suárez walked off on his own power and was seen laughing immediately after he was hit.
After the game, Manager Rob Thomson confirmed that Suárez was removed as a precaution and should be alright. "As Ranger said, 'it got all muscle," said Thomson.
Before he was removed, he pitched 4.1 IP, allowing three earned runs on nine hits. He gave up two solo home runs to Byron Buxton (to lead off the game) and James Outman. Ranger Suárez ends the regular season with a 3.20 ERA in a career-high 157.1 IP.
Locked into the 2-seed
With the Phillies' 5-0 loss, the team is now locked into the 2-seed for the postseason, with the Milwaukee Brewers getting the 1-seed. Both teams will receive a bye and skip the Wild Card series.
The Phillies will play the winner of the 3-seed Los Angeles Dodgers and either the Cincinnati Reds or the New York Mets as the 6-seed. The Wild Card series begins on Tuesday, September 30th. The NLDS begins on Saturday, October 4th.
