After dropping two out of three to the Los Angeles Angels last week at Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox were looking to turn things around against the struggling Kansas City Royals this weekend.
Boston interim manager Chad Tracy had his top three pitchers lined up to work. Ace Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez, and Payton Tolle were scheduled to pitch against the Royals. However, Gray suffered the loss in the series opener on Friday night, 3-2.
On Saturday, they needed Suárez to step up and be the $130 million left-hander they signed over the winter. He was looking to follow up his dazzling seven-inning scoreless outing against the Baltimore Orioles against Kansas City. He did that and then some, looking like the pitcher that Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow signed in January.
Chad Tracy Raves Over Ranger Suárez Performance in Boston Red Sox Win
Unless something crazy happens over the final two weeks, the Red Sox are on a collision course with the New York Yankees in the American League wild-card round. That series right now would begin in the Bronx.
Suárez, who pitched in a lot of big postseason games for the Philadelphia Phillies, dominated the Royals on Saturday. The 31-year-old went seven innings, allowing one run and striking out eight in a 5-1 Boston victory. In September, he has won both decisions, worked 14 innings with 11 strikeouts, and has a 0.94 ERA after allowing just a Carter Jensen sixth-inning home run. Tracy didn’t mince words about how big a second straight start from Suárez is with the playoffs right around the corner.
“It’s important,” said Tracy, per Tim Healy of the Boston Globe. “Obviously, there was a run of a handful of starts there when he was having trouble getting deeper in the game, mostly driven by count leverage and being behind the count. It drove the pitch count up. But to see him now, just looks like strike one all the time — strike one, strike two. He’s obviously trending in a really good direction more and more.”
Looking ahead to a potential Yankees wild-card series, Tracy would likely send Gray out for Game 1 and then either Suárez or Tolle for Game 2. If Suárez continues to pitch well down the stretch, it’ll be difficult for Tracy not to turn to his veteran regardless of whether they win or lose Game 1.
Boston Red Sox Send Payton Tolle Out To Clinch Series vs. Royals
Boston will look to win the series on Sunday with Tolle taking the mound for the 3:05 start time. The game has been pushed back 90 minutes already, with heavy rain expected in the Boston area around midday.
Tolle is 9-6 with a 3.15 ERA. He will be pitching for the first time in a week after pitching last Sunday against the Orioles. He went six innings, allowing four hits and one run as Boston completed a four-game sweep of Baltimore.
Boston is six games clear of the Cleveland Guardians for the third AL wild-card spot. They are 4.5 games behind the Yankees for home-field advantage in the wild-card round. New York also holds the tiebreaker. It’s all bout gaining momentum heading into the playoffs, and right now, Suárez has it.
Red Sox Interim Manager Chad Tracy Drops Blunt Quote After Ranger Suárez Dominates Royals