Categories: 2023 Postgame Recaps

Ranger Suárez posts best outing of season, but can’t outduel Senga, Mets

Ranger Suárez’s strong outing wasn’t enough on Tuesday. (Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire)

FINAL: Mets 2, Phillies 0

Ranger Suárez posted his best outing of the season on Tuesday night; it still wasn’t enough against the New York Mets.

The left-hander went 6 2/3 strong for the Philadelphia Phillies, allowing just two runs. But on a night where Kodai Senga — the former All-Star in Japan playing in his rookie season in the majors — had it going, Suárez’s performance wasn’t enough.

Senga tossed seven shutout innings for New York as the Mets defeated the Phillies, 2-0, in a pitcher’s duel at Citi Field. The right-hander surrendered just one Philadelphia hit to lead the way to a Mets victory in the opener of a divisional three-game series.

Suárez wasn’t perfect, but he finally looked like himself after struggling in his first three outings off the injured list to start 2023. He scattered five hits as he pitched into the seventh inning, making it past the fifth for the first time this season. That’s a good sign for Philadelphia (25-29), which has dealt with rotation issues throughout the year. However, the Phillies bats failed to back Suárez on Tuesday, only recording two hits with Bryce Harper out of the lineup.

Senga was brilliant for the Mets (28-27), his fastball and forkball combination working to miss Phillies bats throughout his outing. He struck out nine and walked none across seven innings, only giving up a third-inning single to Kody Clemens.

It looked like the Phillies were poised to get on the board in the top of the fourth when Nick Castellanos drove a ball to deep to left-center field, but center fielder Brandon Nimmo jumped up and brought back a homer to preserve the shutout for Senga.

With the Phillies unable to score, New York went on top with a solo home run from Francisco Lindor in the fourth off Suárez. The Mets added another when Connor Brogdon allowed a runner inherited from Suárez on an RBI single by Eduardo Escobar.

Adam Ottavino entered for the Mets in the eighth in place of Senga and issued the first walk of the game for New York. J.T. Realmuto was then thrown out trying to steal second to squash the Phillies’ threat of scoring.

Former Phillies reliever David Robertson closed it out for the Mets, allowing a single to Josh Harrison before getting a double play to end the game.

Shibe Vintage Sports Notes

Suárez’s seven innings pitched made for his highest mark of the season, while his two runs were the fewest he’s allowed so far.
As noted on the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast, the Phillies did not reach second base in this game for the first time since 2016.
Robertson recorded his ninth save of the season for the Mets. He had six regular-season saves in two stints with the Phillies.

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