Suarez, Realmuto, Stott shine in Phillies win over Astros

The Phillies rolled out a lineup featuring seven of their nine expected Opening Day starters Friday in a 6-3 win over the Astros. Brandon Marsh (recovering from a knee procedure) and Johan Rojas were the two regulars who sat this one out.

Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the game:

The Good

• Ranger Suarez made his second start of the spring, throwing 44 pitches in 3.1 scoreless innings. He allowed two hits, walked none, and struck out seven. Suarez is looking forward to his first full preseason in years after visa issues and injuries disrupted his past few springs. “It’s very important for me to have a full spring training and stay healthy,” said Suarez to reporters after he exited the game. “Past years I’ve been injured or haven’t had great starts.”
• J.T. Realmuto went three for three and drove in a run. In 2023, Realmuto slashed .252/.310/.452. That’s a .762 OPS, the lowest number he’s posted since 2015. A nice rebound season for the 32-year-old catcher would do wonders for the Phillies lineup.
• Bryson Stott went two for three with a home run and four RBI. “I feel really good,” he said afterwards. “I was just telling [Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long] that I feel better now than to start the season last year.”
• Bryce Harper crushed a double off the wall, walked once, stole two bases, and scored two runs.
• Gregory Soto looked sharp, striking out the side in the fifth inning. Soto is another Phillies player hoping for a bounce-back season. His 4.62 ERA in 2023 was the highest he’s put up since his rookie year, but his 1.14 WHIP was the best of his career. Looking at his 3.59 FIP from 2023, there’s some strong evidence that Soto caught some bad luck last season.
• Phillies pitchers combined to strike out 14 Astros hitters.

The Bad

• Seranthony Dominguez promptly served up a home run after entering the game in the sixth inning. He also walked a batter and struck out two.
• Nick Castellanos, Jake Cave, and Alec Bohm went hitless in nine combined plate appearances. Castellanos did manage to reach base on an Astros throwing error, however. He then stole second and advanced to third on another Astros throwing error, eventually scoring a run.

The Ugly

• Kyle Schwarber went hitless in four at-bats. He has just one hit in 18 spring at-bats and has struck out nine times. Though there’s no cause for concern, the cold start is a reminder of the highs and lows of the Schwarber rollercoaster. In 2023, for example, Schwarber slashed .368/.476/.956 (1.431) in a 20-game stretch from June 19 through August 23, but slashed .083/.225/.117 (.342 OPS) in a 20-game stretch from September 4 through September 24.

The Phillies will play at home again in Clearwater on Saturday. 1:05 p.m. start vs the Blue Jays.