Ranger Suarez Has Regained His 2021 Form
Expectations were high for Ranger Suarez coming into the 2022 season. He was great as a reliever in 2021, but it was when he moved into the starting rotation that he really turned heads. In 12 starts and 65.2 innings, he had a dazzling 1.51 ERA. He led all starters with at least 10 starts in ERA Post the All-Star Break. But it was a rough start to the year for Ranger Suarez.
Just getting to camp wasn’t easy. The lockout lead to visa issues, which made him a late arrival to camp. And that late start showed in his early performance. At times it felt like he was still in Spring Training. He took a 4.69 ERA into the month of June. Leading to questions of if this was the real Ranger Suarez, and if the guy we saw in late 2021 was just an aberration. But not only has he started to come around, but he’s back to pitching like he was in 2021.
Ranger Suarez has given up only 4 earned runs since the All Star Break, over 4 starts and 23.3 innings. Thats a 1.54 ERA, 8th over the span among pitchers with at least 4 starts
— Dylan MacKinnon (@DylanFMackinnon) August 13, 2022
Outside one shaky start vs the Nationals, Suarez has been dominant in the second half. Most recently he went pitch for pitch with Max Scherzer. And while he didn’t come away with the victory, he kept it to a 1-1 tie, which the Phillies eventually won. It’s not just these 4 games that he has been great though. Since June his ERA is 2.98. He has been showing improvement for a while. In his last 11 starts, he has given up 3 or more runs only 3 times. He has pitched into the 6th inning in 7 of those games. The Phillies have won the last 5 games he pitched, and 8 of the last 11.
So how is he pitching so much better now? To start, he is inducing much more ground balls. Over this dominant span, 61.3% of balls in play have been on the ground. That’s compared to 54.3% in the first two months. In his first 48 innings, he gave up 6 HRs. But since then, in 59.333 innings he has given up just 4. That is an improvement from an HR every 8 innings, to now an HR every 14.8 innings.
The Phillies have found their 3rd starter. If and when the Phillies make the playoffs, it should be Ranger Suarez taking the mound in game 3. It’s Zack Wheeler game 1, Aaron Nola game 2, and then Suarez. And by the way, those 3 combine for an ERA of 2.00 since the All-Star break. The relievers currently on the Phillies roster have an ERA of 2.76 since the All-Star Break. Those starters, and the bullpen, have a combined 2.29 ERA since the break.
Ranger Suarez seems to have regained his 2021 form. And if he keeps that up, this pitching staff will be formidable in any playoff matchup.
