Phillies news and rumors 4/23: Through 5 starts, Ranger Suárez is pitching like an ace

Ranger Suárez signed with the Phillies in 2012. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)

Ranger Suárez has been a key contributor to the Philadelphia Phillies’ pitching staff over the last few years.

In 2021, he pitched out of the bullpen — both as a regular reliever and closer — for the first four months of the season and was stretched out into a starter over the season’s final two months. He finished 2021 with 39 appearances and a 1.36 ERA. Two years ago, Suárez transitioned into a full-time starter. The then 26-year-old started 29 games for the Phillies and finished with a 3.65 ERA across 155 1/3 innings. Last year, Suárez finished 125 innings across 22 starts with a 4.18 ERA.

On top of that, Suárez has been excellent in each of the last two postseasons. He closed out the NLCS in 2022 and finished that year’s playoff run with a 1.23 ERA in five appearances. Last year, Suárez started four games and allowed four earned runs across 18 2/3 innings in October. Altogether, his 1.62 ERA in 33 1/3 postseason innings is sixth-lowest among pitchers with at least 30 postseason innings since the start of the Wild Card Era (1995).

Even with all that success, Suárez entered 2024 as the Phillies’ No. 3 starter behind Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. But through five starts this season, the Venezuelan-born lefty, who signed with the Phillies for $25,000 at the age of 16 in 2012, is pitching like an ace.

Suárez entered Monday with a 1.73 ERA through four starts — the 12th-lowest ERA among big-league starting pitchers. Across 26 innings, he had recorded 27 strikeouts and walked just four batters. His 2.71 FIP ranked 11th among MLB starters and 0.769 WHIP ranked second among all pitchers. His last start before Monday was one of the best of his career — a 112-pitch, seven-hit shutout of the Colorado Rockies.

Suárez didn’t go into his start Monday with just a nine-inning scoreless streak, though. He was in the midst of an 18-inning scoreless streak. In the start before his shutout, the left-hander finished six scoreless innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The last run Suárez allowed entering Monday came on April 6, when Joey Gallo of the Washington Nationals hit a two-run home run off him. That was Suárez’s second start. Gallo’s run remains the last one Suárez has allowed.

The 28-year-old followed up his complete game shutout with another great start — a seven-inning, scoreless, masterpiece of an outing against the Cincinnati Reds.

Suárez allowed just two hits on Monday night. He walked one batter and struck out five. Only one Reds’ baserunner reached scoring position against Suárez. He finished his night by retiring nine straight batters.

Suárez’s ERA now sits at 1.36 while his scoreless streak stands at 25 innings. That’s the longest such streak by a Phillies pitcher since fellow southpaw Cliff Lee pitched 30 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings back in 2011.

Not only is Suárez pitching like an ace, but, to no surprise, he’s continuing to field his position like a future Gold Glover. The lefty made a handful of nice plays against the Rockies and made another against the Reds — a leaping grab on a comeback-liner.

Starting pitching has been one of the Phillies’ strengths in recent seasons. And it’s been their biggest strength through 23 games this year.

Entering Monday, Philadelphia’s rotation had the lowest rotation ERA in the National League (2.25), which was also the second-lowest in the majors, trailing only the Boston Red Sox rotation (1.73). After Suárez’s start, that mark now sits at 2.20. Phillies starters also ranked first in innings pitched (132) and were tied with Boston’s rotation in combined fWAR (3.3) before Suárez’s start.

While Wheeler and Nola have both pitched well to start the year, Suárez has been even better. He’s pitching like an ace.

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