Phillies: 3 Overperformers and Underperformers of First Half

Overperformer 3: Ranger Suárez

Suárez entered this season coming off of a 2020 campaign where the novel coronavirus kept him out for over a month before he struggled in three appearances, giving up 10 hits, four walks and nine runs in four innings. He only struck out one of the 26 batters he faced.

Suárez looked good as a starter during his path to the majors, including a 2.76 ERA in 12 Double-A starts and a 2.74 ERA in nine Triple-A starts in 2018, before making his major-league debut that year and posting a 5.40 ERA over four games.

He started 2019 with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, struggling to a 2-2 record and 5.68 ERA in seven starts, but looked good the remainder of the year with the Phillies, posting a 6-1 record and 3.14 ERA in 37 relief appearances.

While he’s had success in the past, limited playing time and struggles in 2020 made it hard to set expectations for how he’d do this year. But it didn’t take long for Suárez to prove his worth.

Suárez went 20 1/3 innings without giving up a single earned run to start this season. The last two of those 11 outings saw him pick up the wins, going three innings in each game, following starters Spencer Howard and Zach Eflin.

His next six games saw him give up four runs (three earned) in 8 2/3 innings, posting a 1-2 record and picking up a blown save. But he’s since rebounded, pitching six scoreless innings in his last four outings, with a 1-0 record and two saves. Over his last eight appearances dating back to June 19, he has only allowed one earned run and has a 0.73 ERA over 12 1/3 innings.

Overall, Suárez has a 0.77 ERA and 0.743 WHIP in 21 games, by far the brightest spot in a very shaky bullpen.