NEW YORK — The Philadelphia Phillies are in Flushing, but Ranger Suárez has adopted a Las Vegas mindset as he prepares to start against the Mets in Game 4 of the NLDS.
Suárez will get the ball in Game 4 regardless of the outcome of Game 3 on Tuesday night. So either the Phillies will be trying to punch their ticket to the NLCS for the third year in a row, or Suárez will be taking the mound looking to force a Game 5 back in Philadelphia.
Normally, Suárez would be the perfect person for that type of position. However, after going 10-4 with a 2.76 ERA en route to an All-Star selection in the first half of the season, Suárez posted a 5.65 ERA in eight starts after the Midsummer Classic. Seven of those eight starts came after he spent nearly a month on the injured list with lower back soreness.
So what has Suárez done to try to change his fortunes since allowing six runs over just two innings against the Washington Nationals in his final start of the regular season on Sept. 27?
“Yeah, we’ve been working on a lot of things since the last start, basically on my mechanics as well,” Suárez said Tuesday through interpreter Diego D’Aniello.
“My last adjustment was during the intersquad game. I think we did a really good job on that one. I executed a couple pitches and I felt good. I think I’m gonna have that rolling on to tomorrow as well.”
Manager Rob Thomson was pleased with the two innings that Suárez pitched in last Wednesday’s intersquad game, as the lefty “sat 92,93 [mph] for most of the day,” needing just 21 pitches to get through two innings.
What specifically did Suárez adjust before the intersquad game?
“It was mostly working on my legs during my windup and mechanics,” Suárez said. “I had to stay a little tighter, a little closer to my body with my legs to get a better angle when I was throwing the ball and a little better idea when I was throwing the ball.”
In a deep rotation, Suárez’s second-half struggles have pushed him to the Game 4 starter, as he’ll toe the rubber with Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez and Aaron Nola already having thrown in the NLDS.
Still, this is someone who had ice in his veins for much of the last two postseason runs, posting a 1.62 ERA across 33 1/3 innings pitched, finding success both as a starter and leverage reliever. To make a World Series run this year, the Phillies are going to need Suárez to bounce back to some degree, specifically in Game 4 of the NLDS.
The 29-year-old lefty says after a successful intersquad start, he’s put his late-season struggles in the rear-view mirror.
“I felt really good on that one,” Suárez said. “You know, what happens in September stays in September. It’s time to turn the page and just forget about it. I’m not thinking about it as much as we’re in October now. So it’s a different atmosphere, it’s a different vibe as well.
“So we’re thinking about the now right now,” he continued. “Just not getting stuck on those bad starts, just getting over them, turning the page over and October vibes. I feel good physically, and that’s all I’m thinking right now.”
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