BALTIMORE (AP) — Albert Suárez has now held the opposition scoreless in almost half his starts in 2024.
Not bad for a 34-year-old right-hander who spent six full seasons out of the major leagues before reemerging this year with Baltimore.
Suárez worked six innings without allowing a run Sunday as the Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox 4-2. It’s the eighth time in 17 starts he’s kept the opponent off the scoreboard. He leads the majors in scoreless starts of at least two innings.
“That’s an amazing stat,” manager Brandon Hyde said.
Suárez (6-4) has gone three consecutive starts without letting in a run, and Grayson Rodriguez’s recent injury means the Orioles need him in the rotation. He lowered his ERA to 3.18 — not too far behind Baltimore ace Corbin Burnes at 3.10.
Suárez threw 99 pitches and struck out six with no walks against the Red Sox, although he certainly came close to allowing a free pass on occasion.
“He bears down really, really well, and there’s not a whole lot of panic out there either,” Hyde said. “The game doesn’t speed up on him.”
Boston had men on first and second with nobody out in the fourth, but Suárez struck out Tyler O’Neill with a 3-2 cutter and eventually escaped the jam. The Red Sox left two men on in the sixth as well.
“He’s one of those guys, he’s going to attack up in the zone,” Boston manager Alex Cora said. “We did a good job taking our singles, whatever, but when it matters we weren’t able to cash in.”
Suárez pitched in Japan from 2019-2021 and South Korea in 2022 and 2023. He’s helped keep the Orioles’ rotation afloat at times this year despite season-ending injuries to Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells.
“My mentality is to stay aggressive and attack the hitters,” Suárez said. “I think that’s what’s helping, plus what I’m doing off the field on the training side.”
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
