There are Sunday afternoons. And then there are Ranger Suárez Sunday afternoons.
The Phillies' left-hander continued his stellar campaign with another masterclass performance, tossing seven strong innings and leading Philadelphia to a 2-1 win over the Braves to secure a series victory at Truist Park.
Suárez (7-2) gave up just one run on four hits, struck out eight, walked one, and trimmed his ERA to a tidy 2.00. Over his last 10 starts, he’s posted a 1.19 ERA, and if there’s a better pitcher in the National League right now, good luck finding him.
“It’s what you want your starters to do,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “He’s been pitching great… better than I’ve ever seen him pitch. He’s changing speeds, using all his pitches.”
And on Sunday, he needed every one of them.
The only damage against Suárez came courtesy of Sean Murphy, who launched a towering 451-foot homer to dead center in the second inning. But that was it. No other Brave reached second base. No rallies. No drama. Just a steady stream of grounders, missed bats, and a whole lot of discomfort for Atlanta hitters.
Meanwhile, the Phillies did just enough against Spencer Strider — and that was the difference, despite going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
Trailing 1-0 in the fifth, Bryson Stott singled and scored all the way from first when Otto Kemp punched a double into the left-field corner. Kemp came around moments later on a Trea Turner sacrifice fly, giving the Phillies the lead and Suárez all he would need.
Strider (3-6) was solid again, allowing five hits and two runs over seven innings. He struck out four and walked three, but fell to 8-2 lifetime against Philadelphia.
Orion Kerkering worked a clean eighth, and Matt Strahm pitched a scoreless ninth for his fifth save.
Kyle Schwarber reached base three times, going 2-for-3 with a walk, while Nick Castellanos added a pair of hits as the Phillies closed out a successful road series and improved to an MLB-best 56-29.
They now return to Citizens Bank Park on Monday to open a three-game series against the Padres. Zack Wheeler will get the ball in the opener, as the Phillies look to keep building on a first half that keeps looking more and more October-ready.
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