Ranger Suarez Claims He Treated Phillies Start As 'Regular Game' originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox turned to Ranger Suarez on Thursday against his old team, the Philadelphia Phillies, in hopes of winning a series.
Suarez was returning after a hamstring injury, and he pitched well in his return. The left-hander went 5.1 scoreless innings, as he struck out eight. It was a great performance from Suarez, and although he was going up against his old team, he didn’t think it was any different.
“To be honest with you, it was like a regular game,” Suarez said postgame. “Obviously, I know they were my old teammates, but I wanted just to get it deep into the game. I knew that my (pitch) count was limited, so I wanted to take advantage of that.”
Suarez was removed after 76 pitches as he hadn’t pitched since May 3 due to a hamstring injury. However, he had another stellar outing as he hasn’t allowed a run in five of his eight outings this season.
“(It’s a good feeling) when you're able to command all your pitches and throw (them) for strikes, and be able to throw it how you want it,” Suarez added.
After another scoreless outing, Suarez is 2-2 with a 2.44 ERA in eight starts this season.
However, Boston still suffered a 3-1 loss to drop another series at Fenway Park.
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