Memo to: Phillies president Dave Dombrowski

Re: You have to get the next moves right.

If you thought it was hot and humid in this current heatwave, the environment around Dombrowski will be extensively warmer.

Suddenly, the Phillies are in the hunt for the NL East division hunt with the Braves, chiseling down a seemingly insurmountable 11-game deficit down to three games before Thursday’s games.

It wasn’t that long ago that the talk surrounding the Phillies was about them staying in the Wild Card race. Now, there are thoughts of them winning their third consecutive NL East crown.

And Dombrowski is in the pressure cooker. He needs to go big-game hunting very soon for a right-handed bat and another starting pitcher.

Make It Right ... Even though the MLB trade deadline is Aug. 3, the Phils’ need for another consistent right-handed bat in the lineup becomes more obvious every day. They have the lowest league OPS among right-handed hitters.

The Adolis Garcia experiment failed, and he is done for the season. Derek Hill is better suited for the bench. Felix Reyes and Steward Berroa weren’t the previous answers.

Minnesota’s Byran Buxton, Baltimore’s Taylor Ward, and the Angels’ Jo Adell are all back on the radar screen. Pittsburgh’s Brian Reynolds and the Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki both are reportedly in the mix. There are even still some whispers about the Angels’ Mike Trout despite his huge contract.

Boston’s Jarren Duran, who is having a terrible season, could benefit from a change of scenery.

Ex-Phils top pick Mickey Moniak would be a good story, but he is a left-handed bat.

The most attractive piece here is Buxton, who is injury prone. San Francisco third baseman Matt Chapman has been linked to the Phillies, notably with Alec Bohm in his walk year.

Whatever the case, Dombrowski has to get it right if the Phils are to stay in contention.

Within Range ... In a recent Times News Sports Facebook poll, the question was posed on whether the Phillies should try and bring back Ranger Suarez at the trade deadline.

Well, 54 percent of the participants were in favor, while 47 percent believed the Phils should go a different route.

Like the right-handed bat necessity, this also should be a given.

Aaron Nola hasn’t lived up to the promise he showed in the World Baseball Classic to return to form, and there isn’t anyone else ready. Alan Rangel is working his way through his first year as a starter and has been adequate at best.

Suarez likely will be the Red Sox All-Star representative (4-3. 2.94, 92 strikeouts), and he would immediately solidify the Phils staff. Dombrowski made the mistake of signing Nola to a long-term deal and letting Suarez walk.

What would it take to bring Suarez back?

Trade Andrew Painter and Reading shortstop Bryan Rincon. Did you gasp with Painter? Don’t worry. Painter likely needs to find greener pastures elsewhere, and the Phis have Gage Wood — who will play in the All-Star Futures’ Game — and Alex McFarlane waiting in the wings.

Readers Write

Ranger Rover

Dear Jeff,

The Phillies should have kept him (Suarez) and sent Nola packing.

Melissa Hager

Lehighton

I’ll Take Two

Dear Jeff,

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Phillies get a decent starter and a right-handed, right-field bat.

Bob Scheuer

Newtown

Turn-ering the Corner ... Trea Turner is finally beginning to find his groove, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time.

Over his last 15 games, Turner is hitting .343 with three homers, four doubles, 10 RBIs and a .948 OPS. He did hit three homers in his last four games.

The hope here is that the 33-year-old Turner — hitting .239 overall with a .653 OPS — can continue to hit consistently to hover or surpass his NL best .307 average last year.

However, he continues to be a defensive liability with his glove. His 11 errors are third worst among his peers behind Washington’s CJ Abrams and San Francisco’s Willy Adames, who each have 12.

Celebrate The Holiday ... Over the years, July 4 has been a memorable day in the nation as well as one on the baseball diamond.

For the Phillies, they have a lifetime 106-107 mark on the day, and they will be in Kansas City Saturday.

The most memorable game in Phillies’ history on the Fourth arguably occurred, fittingly in 1976, when Tim McCarver apparently hit a grand slam in Pittsburgh. But the catcher was awarded a “single” when he passed Garry Maddox on the base paths. McCarver hit six grand slams in his 21-year career.

Other notable events were Dave Righetti’s no-hitter for the Yankees against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in 1983, and Tom Seaver’s one-hitter for the Mets against the Padres at Shea Stadium in 1972.

Nolan Ryan reached the 3,000-strikeout plateau when he struck out the Reds’ Cesar Geronimo in 1980, and the Yankees’ Lou Gehrig delivered his “Luckiest Man” speech at Yankee Stadium in 1939.

Next Up ... Baseball’s annual amateur draft will be July 11 and 12. The entire 20 rounds will be broadcast by MLB Network, Peacock and NBC.

UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky or Texas Christian shortstop Grady Emerson are expected to be the top pick. The White Sox have the top pick.

The Mets (No. 27), the Yankees (No. 35), and the Phillies (No. 36) all received a 10-pick penalty on their first pick for exceeding the second surcharge threshold of the Competitive Balance Tax.

Not Boone’s Farm ... Another scorching topic has been the future of Yanks’ skipper Aaron Boone. New York enters Minnesota tonight in the doldrums of a seven-game losing streak and five games in the loss column behind first-place Tampa.

Boone’s managerial skills again have been called into question for a rash of questionable calls lately, one involving not having Paul Goldschmidt pinch-hit to tie Thursday’s game with a fly ball in their home ninth. Aaron Judge’s “lack of focus” comment didn’t help.

It will get very tense if the Yanks (48-38) slip to .500. With his 10 years in the dugout, Boone is the longest serving Yankees’ manager not to win a World Series.

Skubal Stakes ... Rumors of Detroit’s Tarik Skubal being traded are heating up again, and it could be trouble for the Phillies.

Multiple reports and sources have the Braves as the new frontrunner for Skubal, pairing him at the top of their rotation with Chris Sale. Atlanta would send a package of prospects — notably Owen Murphy and J.R. Ritchie among some other top ones — without touching their base players.

The Dodgers — who else? — and the Yankees can also clear the deck of some prospects to get him.

If the Phillies entered the derby, it would take a deal involving Painter, Wood or Aidan Miller.

Not Dodging It ... The Dodgers haven’t wasted any time getting it into high gear. Did anyone notice that they were 12 games ahead of the Padres entering Thursday night’s play? The two teams were neck-and-neck a few weeks ago.

Kyle Tucker, their $50 million man, is hitting .239 with seven homers and 44 RBIs. Interestingly, the Dodgers have hit just two more homers (119-117) than the Phillies.

But the Dodgers have the game’s best record at 56-31 with a run differential of +157 and the game’s best road record of 30-17.

Scrapbook ... In each column, I will recall a former diamond standout from our area.

Edward “Moose” Kosciolek was an outstanding baseball and football player at Lansford High School (Panther Valley) from 1958-62.

Kosciolek, nicknamed “Moose” after the Yankees’ first baseman Ed “Moose” Skowron, also played first base. In addition to excelling at Lansford, Kosciolek played two summers for the Palmerton Legion team. In 1961, Kosciolek made the Lehigh Valley Legion All-Star Team as a first baseman. He attended several baseball tryouts, including ones held by the Yankees, the Cardinals and the Pirates.

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