Sept. 10 – The Philadelphia Phillies have been cautious about the Rangers’ Suarez since the All-Star left-hander came off the injured list last month.
Perhaps a favorable game against the Rays is just what the doctor ordered for Suarez, who will take the ball on Tuesday when the Phillies continue their three-game series against visiting Tampa Bay.
Suarez (12-6, 2.90 ERA) missed nearly a month because of lower back pain before returning to the rotation in late August. He has a 3.21 ERA in three starts since his time at Illinois, though he hasn’t pitched more than five innings in any of those games.
He was removed from Thursday’s game after striking out 82 against the Miami Marlins, allowing only three hits in five scoreless innings to earn the win.
“I think I always say this: He’s a ranger,” Philadelphia second baseman Bryson Stout said. “If he doesn’t have a sinker that day, it’s like he has seven other pitches. And he’s so smart, he knows where guys are going to be sitting on certain shots or certain swings, and he just throws what he wants to throw to get what you want… It’s good to have him back.
Suarez’s target will be a Tampa Bay lineup that has scored two points or fewer in three of its last four games. The Rays’ only success in Monday’s 2-1 loss to Philadelphia came on Brandon Lowe’s ninth-inning solo homer, but even then, the Rays were nearly caught by a leaping Johan Rojas in center field.
Phillies closer Carlos Estevez threw the game-tying pitch before removing the padding from his leg at the end of the inning. He may not be available Tuesday.
“It’s his knee. Just a bruise,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “They’re checking him out. I’m sure he’ll be a little sore (Tuesday).”
Philadelphia (86-58) retired Estevez in the bottom of the ninth inning on Monday. Kody Clemens hit the decisive single to right field, setting up Bryce Harper’s winning run. The Phillies narrowly avoided a three-game losing streak after losing to the Marlins by a combined score of 19-6 on Saturday and Sunday.
“They’re both strong, but it’s nice to get some momentum after (Sunday’s 10-1 loss). (Sunday) was disappointing,” Thompson said. “Coming home and having the fans behind us and winning this ball game — it could potentially motivate us to get going again. I think it’s a really big win.”
Tampa Bay (71-73), hoping to bounce back on Tuesday, will hand the ball to Taj Bradley (6-10, 4.40), who is 0-6 in his last seven games.
The 23-year-old right-hander set a career high with seven innings against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday but still lost. He allowed two home runs in the first three innings but allowed only one hit the rest of the way.
“You get a little upset after something like that happens,” Bradley said of the home run. “I just focused on not letting those runs get to me. That’s what I thought was happening; I got out early because of the big picture. I just wanted to get it over with.”
Bradley will keep a close eye on Kyle Schwarber, who hit his 34th home run of the season on Monday. The Phillies slugger has hit six home runs in his last seven games and has at least one hit in all eight games this month.
–Visual-level media
