Suarez defeated by early control issues in first loss of 2024 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
DENVER – Nearly two months passed, but the Phillies finally lost a series and Ranger Suarez finally lost a game.
The Phillies had won 11 series and split four since losing two of three games to the Reds the first week of the season. They blew a ninth-inning lead in an extra-inning loss to the Rockies on Friday night, came back to win in the ninth inning on Saturday and quickly fell behind in Sunday’s 5-2 loss.
Outfielder Suárez allowed a two-run shot to Ryan McMahon in the bottom of the first inning, a ball that continued to advance toward right center field. It was a windy day at Coors Field, blowing 10 to 15 mph from left field, but right center and right can be a jet stream.
Suárez then walked four batters in a three-run second inning that included just one hit. He had a chance to escape the inning by allowing just one run when Brendan Rodgers hit a hard grounder to Alec Bohm with the bases loaded, but Bohm grounded him out and threw an errant ball to first base after stepping on third. Two runs scored on the play.
Suárez entered with a 9-0 record with a 1.36 ERA and an MLB-leading 0.79 WHIP. He was looking to become the first Phillies to win 10 consecutive starts. He reciprocated one of these. He is now 9-1 with a 1.75 ERA.
“In the first two innings I didn’t have control of my changeup or my curveball,” he said. “My fastball wasn’t going for strikes either. I think that was the game right there. By the time I was finally able to adjust, we were already five down.
“I think it was just a bad day, a bad couple of innings, because after we made the adjustments, my curveball and my changeup worked and I was able to mix up my pitches better.”
Suárez recovered to retire the last 13 batters he faced and complete six innings, which was important in preserving the bullpen with Taijuan Walker starting Monday. Spencer Turnbull, the only true long man in the pen, had the ninth inning on Saturday and has never pitched back-to-back days as a pro. Jose Ruiz, who has gone two innings twice this month, pitched Friday and Saturday and manager Rob Thomson rarely uses a reliever three days in a row.
“The last two nights, we’ve had pitchers go 30-plus innings and they’ve completed six,” Thomson said. “You don’t see that very often; There are usually five at most. Those guys are working, you realize.
“I’d put it down to one of those days.”
The Phillies made it a game with runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Bohm singled with Kyle Schwarber and Johan Rojas singled with Brandon Marsh. A three-run deficit at Coors Field can be overcome quickly, but the lineup couldn’t muster enough hits to get within reach with just two singles in the final four innings.
The Phillies (38-16) now travel to San Francisco for a three-game series against the Giants (27-27). Walker, Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez will pitch for the Phillies. The Giants have left-handers scheduled for the series opener (Blake Snell) and the series finale (Kyle Harrison) on Tuesday to be determined.
“Just a little weird,” Thomson said of the weekend. “You come here and you think because of the thin air you’re going to score a lot of runs and hit home runs, and we didn’t have any slugs today.
“Just one of those days, one of those weekends, I guess.”