Ranger Suarez, the Phillies’ starter vs. the Mets on Wednesday, has made eight starts in 2024.
The Phillies won all of those games and the lefty is 7-0.
Among NL pitchers, Suarez is tied for second with Tyler Glasnow with 1.7 FanGraphs WAR, behind only San Diego’s Dylan Cease (1.8).
Suarez’s sparkling 1.50 ERA is predicated upon elite command (106 Location+, 4 percent walk rate) and ability to induce weak contact (28 percent hard-hit rate allowed, 60 percent ground-ball rate).
Suarez is a sinkerballer who locates his primary pitch perfectly and forces opponents to weakly top the ball into the ground.
So far, the approach seems sustainable, given his 2.22 expected ERA doesn’t indicate over-performance. He’s on pace to post a career-best year.
Over the past two weeks, the Phillies boast a .760 OPS boosted by a 10 percent walk rate.
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Conversely, the Mets have posted a measly .682 OPS over the past two weeks, including a .656 mark vs. lefties.
The Phillies have considerable advantages on the mound — Joey Lucchesi is expected to make his first MLB start of the season for the Mets — and at the plate across all nine innings.
The play: Phillies moneyline (-175, FanDuel Sportsbook)