May 11, 2024
Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports
Ranger Suárez's dominant run to start the season continued Friday night against Miami.
Ranger Suárez mowed through another lineup Friday night down in Miami and collected another win as the Phillies went on to thrash the struggling Marlins, 8-2.
The 28-year old lefty is now 7-0 on the season, and the Phillies remain at an MLB-best 27-12 going into Saturday afternoon's next game.
Suárez has been a highly effective third starter in the rotation for a while now, but this season? He's been something else.
"I think this is the best run he's been on, no doubt about it," manager Rob Thomson said postgame Friday night (via NBC Sports Philadelphia). "He's really been focused and locked in and very consistent."
Here's a look at that run by the numbers...
Suárez's starts this season so far and the number of starts it took him to reach 7-0. The only other pitcher in Phillies history to do that: Hall of Fame lefty Steve Carlton in 1981.
1981 Steve Carlton is the only pitcher in Phillies history to go 7-0 in his first 8 starts of the season.
— John Foley (@2008Philz) May 9, 2024
2024 Ranger Suárez can join him tomorrow with a W against the Marlins. pic.twitter.com/IDJVBosVRA
Days and counting since Suárez has gotten any decision other than a win. He got a no-decision in the opening series finale against the Braves back on March 31 – a 5-4 Phillies victory. He's rung off seven straight wins in heavily dominant fashion since.
How dominant?
Suárez's number of scoreless appearances so far. That's half of his starts and of which he's gone at least six innings in each.
Suárez's strikeouts per nine rate, which is second among the Phillies' starters behind ace Zack Wheeler at 11.5 and a major contributing factor to the club's overall 9.57 strikeouts per nine rate that trails only the Minnesota Twins at 10.24.
Suárez's minuscule WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched), which leads all of baseball among qualified pitchers.
The number of scoreless innings Suárez threw up until the eighth inning of April 27's 5-1 Phillies win over the Padres out in San Deigo. That streak put him in the company of notable to outright great Phillies pitchers in Cliff Lee, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts, Ken Heintzelman, and Larry Andersen throughout the franchise's history.
Ranger Suárez is now one of only seven pitchers in Phillies history with a 30.0 inning scoreless streak: Suarez, Cliff Lee (2x), HOF Grover Cleveland Alexander (2x), HOF Steve Carlton, HOF Robin Roberts, Ken Heintzelman and Larry Andersen.
— PhilliesNotes (@PhilliesNotes) April 28, 2024
And speaking of Cliff Lee...
Coolest man alive. pic.twitter.com/WsidrrXbdb
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 11, 2024
Casual and flashy.
— MLB Vault (@MLBVault) October 29, 2020
11 years ago in #WorldSeries Game 1, Cliff Lee showed he could play defense in a couple different ways. 😂 pic.twitter.com/S68B5RNLEY
Suárez's ERA on the season so far, which is second in the majors among qualified pitchers only to the Cubs' Shota Imanaga, who has pitched just under 13 fewer innings. Suárez has pitched 54.0 and Imanaga has 41.2.
Suárez's sweet spot percentage, per Baseball Savant, which ranks ninth among qualified pitchers in baseball. He's made solid contact really hard to come by for opposing lineups.
Which makes it really hard for opposing lineups to get on base, as Suárez's .240 xwOBA (expected weighted on-base average) – also per Baseball Savant – ranks third in all of baseball.
The lone complete game Suárez has thrown – a masterpiece of an eight-strikeout shutout of the Rockies back on April 16 – yet only one of seven complete games thrown in the majors so far this season.
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