2 Duds (& 1 Stud) From the Phillies' NLCS Game 3 Loss to the Diamondbacks
By Tyler Maher
Stud: Ranger Suarez
The bullpen's poor performance undid an absolutely stellar start by Suarez, who put the Phillies in position to win. Unfortunately for him, he got zero run support and the bullpen let him down.
All Suarez did was toss 5 1/3 innings of scoreless ball, yielding just 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 7. He threw 44 of his 69 pitches for strikes and kept the ball on the ground, inducing 7 groundouts.
Suarez basically had to be perfect with Brandon Pfaadt shutting down Philly's lineup, and he was up to the challenge. The two traded zeroes before departing in the sixth, turning the game over to the bullpens. Arizona's just ended up being a bit better than Philadelphia's, which obviously isn't Suarez's fault.
Ranger Suarez’s 0.94 is the lowest ERA in a pitcher’s 1st 8 career postseason app, since ER official in both leagues in 1913 (min 20 IP)
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 19, 2023
JUST ahead of Sandy Koufax’s 0.95
Some Phillies fans were concerned about Suarez coming into October based on his lackluster finish to the regular season, leaving some to wonder if his arm was shot. Instead, he's essentially been a third ace behind Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler, ceding just 1 run on 7 hits in 14 innings over 3 starts so far.
Suarez has been lights-out lately, and he pitched well enough for Philly to win Game 3. Unfortunately, none of his teammates came through.
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