2 Phillies players whose hot starts will continue, 1 who will fade

Ranger Suárez will continue his hot start

Perhaps no other member of the Phillies has made as strong of an impression as Ranger Suárez has in the first month of the season, specifically in his last two starts. After his first outing, in which he allowed three earned runs in five innings against the Braves, the left-hander has been one of the league's best pitchers.

Suárez lowered his ERA from 4.09 to 2.65 in his third start on April 11 versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. He allowed zero earned runs, two hits, and two walks and had eight strikeouts in six innings. Against the Rockies on April 16, the Pie de Cuesta, Venezuela native pitched a complete game shutout. He finished with eight strikeouts and allowed seven hits and one walk, lowering his ERA to 1.73.

He followed up his complete game shutout with another solid game on April 22 versus the Cincinnati Reds. Suárez threw seven innings, allowed two hits, one walk, zero earned runs and five strikeouts. The 28-year-old lowered his ERA to 1.32 after Saturday's start against the Padres. He's now 5-0 with an incredible 0.63 WHIP and 40 strikeouts in 41 innings.

During his first full season as a starting pitcher in 2022, Suárez went 10-7 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP with 129 strikeouts. He had a solid postseason with a 2-0 record and a 1.23 ERA in five appearances, three of them starts. In 14 2/3 innings, he had a 1.02 WHIP, 13 strikeouts, and allowed six walks and two earned runs.

Last year, Suárez missed the first month of the season with a left elbow strain. He made 22 starts and finished with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. In 125 innings, he totaled 119 strikeouts and allowed 48 walks and 58 earned runs. He did well in four starts during the postseason last year, with a 1.93 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP, and a 1-1 record in 18 2/3 innings. He finished with four earned runs and two walks allowed and 19 strikeouts.

Suárez features several pitch types in his arsenal. The most common pitches he throws are a sinker (34.6 percent), a curveball (19.7 percent), and a changeup (17.5 percent). He also features a four-seamer (16.9 percent), a cutter (11 percent), and a slider (0.2 percent).

While it's unlikely that he'll continue his current dominance, as he is performing like a No. 1 ace starter, he could easily be good enough to be a No. 2 starter. If that's the case, the Phillies will have a formidable top three in their rotation with Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola.