Maybe the concerns about Ranger Suárez heading into Game 4 were overblown. Sure, he didn’t look like the Ranger Suárez that had become a postseason hero over the past few years when he returned from a back injury late in the season.
But, as it had been all year in Philadelphia and as it was all throughout this National League Division Series, the starting pitching was the least of the Phillies’ worries.
Suárez battled through 4 1/3 shutout innings. He didn’t have his best fastball. He loaded the bases twice in two innings. None of that mattered as he gave his team a shot in an eventual 4-1 loss to the Mets on Wednesday night at Citi Field to eliminate the Phillies from the playoffs and send New York to play for the National League pennant.