On Tuesday afternoon, Aaron Nola dominated the New York Mets.
While Nola was outstanding, perhaps no pitcher has been as consistent for the Philadelphia Phillies as Ranger Suarez.
Suarez will get another chance at continuing his impressive start on Wednesday evening when the Phillies host the Mets.
The Phillies are 22-5 in their past 27 games and became the first team to reach 30 victories when they followed a 5-4 win over the Mets in 10 innings Monday with a 4-0 triumph. Nola retired the first 15 hitters he faced on Tuesday and finished a four-hitter by retiring Francisco Lindor with two on in the ninth inning.
Philadelphia picked up its latest win without Bryce Harper, who was a late scratch because of a migraine. He watched as Alec Bohm drove in two runs in a game in which the Phillies did enough offensively despite stranding 11 baserunners.
Suarez (7-0, 1.50 ERA), who threw a 112-pitch complete game April 16 against the Colorado Rockies, has pitched at least seven innings four times this season. The latest instance was in an 8-2 win at the Miami Marlins on Friday, when Suarez struck out nine and allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings.
It was Suarez’s fourth scoreless outing of the season after he tossed one last season and six in 2022.
“I think this is the best run he’s been on, no doubt about it,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of Suarez. “He’s really been focused and locked in. Very consistent.”
Suarez’s unbeaten run actually dates to last season. Since Sept. 16, he has won his past nine decisions.
“I just try to focus as I always do,” Suarez said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a good team or bad team. We’re in the big leagues. All teams are dangerous.”
Suarez is 2-3 with a 4.03 ERA in 13 career appearances (six starts) against the Mets. The left-hander went 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA in two starts against them last season.
The Mets are 1-4 in a stretch of seven straight contests against the Phillies and Atlanta Braves. New York batted .175 with 43 strikeouts during its five-game homestand that also saw the team come within one out of being no-hit by Atlanta on Saturday.
Starling Marte had two of New York’s four hits Tuesday, but Pete Alonso, Lindor and J.D. Martinez went a combined 0-for-10 against Nola.
“I think I saw a little bit of both,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of his struggling offense. “It’s a combination of a few guys going through it right now, trying to find the rhythm, and you’re facing a pretty good pitcher that was on today.”
“It seems like we’re in a month that the uphill fight is even harder, but we just got to do it,” Lindor added after his average dropped to .204.
Adrian Houser originally was slated to return to the rotation for New York but is not an option to start on Wednesday after briefly warming up in the ninth inning Tuesday.
The Mets did not immediately announce a starter and could deploy a bullpen game.
–Field Level Media
