Ranger Suarez: Everything you need to know

Suarez did not factor into the decision Tuesday against the Royals, allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out three over 4.1 innings. Suarez had to grind through a difficult 32-pitch first inning that accounted for Kansas City's only run of the night, but he settled in nicely afterward, holding the Royals hitless over the next three frames. In the fifth inning, he allowed back-to-back hits that led to his exit, though at just 81 pitches it appeared Boston were once again cautious with the left-hander following his recent hamstring issues. Had he been able to complete the fifth inning, he would have been in line for the win. Suarez has now allowed just one run over his last 21.2 innings, lowering his season line to a 2.40 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 43:14 K:BB across 48.2 innings. He's scheduled to face Atlanta in his next start.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy's decision to pull Suarez in the sixth inning Thursday after 76 pitches was due to the left-hander "starting to fatigue" an inning earlier, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. Suarez was cruising against the Phillies, his former team, before getting the hook after 5.1 scoreless frames. "Based on the fact that he hadn't thrown in 11, 12 days, it felt like that was the right time to cut it," Tracy added after the game. While Suarez was never told he was under a pitch count, the pitcher believed he would be held to around 75-80 pitches. He shouldn't have any restrictions for his next outing, which lines up to come on the road early next week in Kansas City.

Suarez did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Phillies, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out eight over 5.1 scoreless innings. Making his first start since exiting his May 3 outing with hamstring tightness, Suarez looked strong in his return, generating eight strikeouts while limiting hard contact throughout. The left-hander was pulled after allowing a Bryce Harper single in the sixth inning despite sitting at just 76 pitches, likely with caution still in mind following the injury. Before the hamstring issue, Suarez had already been on a hot stretch, tossing six or more scoreless innings in three of his previous four starts. He now owns a 2.44 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 40:11 K:BB across 44.1 innings and is slated to face Kansas City next.