Phillies hit the road after dropping finale to Orioles, and they might look different when they return

Last week, the Phillies came home after the trade deadline and unveiled a star closer with a cinematic entrance.

What will they look like after 11 days away?

Hold that thought. First, about the dud of a 5-1 loss in a getaway Wednesday matinee against the Orioles: It came down to seven pitches in the fourth inning.

Ranger Suárez allowed four consecutive hits, including a crushed three-run homer on a hanging changeup to Coby Mayo. And that, as they say, was that, because the Phillies went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base — and that new closer, Jhoan Duran, in the bullpen.

» READ MORE: The Phillies push back Zack Wheeler’s next start because of shoulder soreness

Here’s the thing about a lights-out closer: He’s a factor only when you give him a lead.

“I feel like we’ve been playing really good baseball these last few games at home and playing some good teams and some good pitching, putting ourselves in good situations, playing good defense,” said Trea Turner, who had three hits and reached base four times. “But it’s a little frustrating not finishing it off.”

So there wouldn’t be a sweep. The Phillies (65-49) saw their three-game winning streak go kaput at the end of a 4-2 homestand. But they stuffed their 2½-game lead in the NL East into their travel bags because the Mets lost again at home to the Guardians.

Up next: A 10-game, three-city trip to Texas, Cincinnati, and Washington.

“Well, it is a challenge,” manager Rob Thomson said. “One thing that has been on my mind is that we haven’t been winning many games on the road. We just have to play better.”

Indeed, the Phillies are 28-28 away from Citizens Bank Park. And by the time they get back on Aug. 18, the roster will look different. For example:

But the Phillies have other looming decisions. Will Thomson continue to divide the playing time in left and center field among four outfielders? Or will he commit to, say, Harrison Bader in center field and Brandon Marsh in left? And what about embattled Max Kepler?

“I’ll think about it [Thursday],” Thomson said.

» READ MORE: Harrison Bader joined the Phillies after the trade deadline, but questions remain about the outfield configuration.

Thomson used the pitching matchups in six games against the Tigers and Orioles — three games against lefty starters, three vs. righties — as a reason to keep the outfield platoons intact. So, although Bader homered Monday night, Kepler and Marsh played Tuesday night — and each clubbed a home run.

And with tough Orioles lefty Trevor Rogers on the mound for the series finale, righty-swinging Bader and Weston Wilson returned to the lineup. Bader reached on an infield single and is 2-for-14 with a walk since the deadline trade with the Twins; Wilson singled and walked.

Maybe the platoons will continue?

“Well, it depends on how everybody’s hitting,” Thomson said. “Bader is kind of an even split between right- and left-handed pitching, so you get a benefit there. But Kepler’s had some pretty good at-bats of late. So we’ll see.”

Watch the starting pitching, too. With 24 games in 25 days beginning Friday in Texas, the Phillies could keep Taijuan Walker in the rotation after Nola returns and go with six starters.

Especially with Zack Wheeler reporting worse-than-usual shoulder soreness after his start last weekend. Imaging on Wheeler’s shoulder didn’t reveal an injury. But the Phillies will push back his next start by two days to Sunday against the Rangers.

Suárez’s velocity was down slightly against the Orioles, although that isn’t necessarily a sign of trouble for the finesse lefty. Four of the nine hits against him came in the decisive fourth inning. The big blow by Mayo came on a first-pitch changeup that hung over the plate.

“The pitch stayed middle-middle,” Suárez said through a team interpreter. “It didn’t do what it was supposed to. It stayed in the middle of the zone.”

» READ MORE: The Phillies and Mets had different approaches at the trade deadline. Whose moves will be enough?

Suárez has allowed 29 hits in 23⅓ innings and posted a 5.79 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break. He has been torpedoed in back-to-back starts by a three-run homer. The Tigers’ Gleyber Torres took him deep last Friday night before the Phillies rallied in the eighth inning for a comeback punctuated by Duran’s four-pitch save in his debut.

Duran appeared only once more on the homestand — and not at all in the three games against the Orioles.

And that’s the biggest thing that must change before the Phillies return home.

“We just need to find a little more offense here and there,” Turner said. “We’ve had our big breakout games offensively, but just need a little more consistency.”