Suarez flirts with perfecto for BlueClaws

After allowing a two-out single in the eighth inning, Ranger Suárez trotted off the mound, tipped his cap to the crowd and grabbed some dirt on the first-base line before getting high-fives in the dugout. He fell short of history, but energized Class A Lakewood and its fans.
The Phillies left-hander carried a perfect game into the eighth inning, allowing just one hit while striking out nine over 7 2/3 innings in the BlueClaws' 6-0 blanking of the Greensboro Grasshoppers on Monday at FirstEnergy Park. Suarez (5-2) combined with reliever Trevor Bettencourt on the Lakewood's South Atlantic League-leading 12th shutout. 

Gameday box score
"It was a really great day," BlueClaws pitching coach Brian Sweeney said. "We needed to change up the vibe. We finished up the first half strong, and we came out in the second half not as well as we would have liked on the pitching side. We needed somebody to change up the vibe, and he certainly did that for us." 
The 21-year-old ended Lakewood's four-game losing skid and reduced his ERA to 1.73, third-best in the Sally League. He attacked the zone with 16 first-pitch strikes and finished the night having thrown 67 of 98 pitches for strikes. Suarez was successful even without some of his off-speed pitches. 
"His tempo and the location of his fastball, it was coming out really well," Sweeney said. "He was really filling up the zone early in the count, putting the hitters on the defensive. He added his slider to the mix, which was very effective. Typically, he'll mix in a pretty good changeup, which he didn't have his best command with. I just wonder what could have been if he had that pitch as well." 
Suarez said his body "felt pretty good" as he warmed up in the bullpen, and it quickly translated to the game with four consecutive strikeouts to start the night. His coach credits rest during All-Star break for rejuvenating the starter. 
"It certainly paid off for him because he was on his game," Sweeney said. "It was just the location, he used all fastballs, and the location of the fastballs was excellent." 
Continuing to use the fastball with the slider, Suarez recorded nine ground-ball outs, with only four balls leaving the infield. His coach was pleased to see the southpaw execute the game plan he's drawn up for his hurlers. 
"He got 10 outs in three pitches or less," Sweeney said. "It's another huge stat that we like to follow. That gets you deeper into games when you can do that. ... The defense was excellent behind him. The guys picked up the ball very well in the infield, Mickey Moniak ran down a couple of balls in center. It was definitely a team effort in helping him get to where he was."
With the perfect game intact in the seventh, Riley Mahan made a bid to end it with a hard grounder down the first-base line. The ball caromed off the bag to first baseman Darick Hall, who flipped to Suarez for the out. Ninth-ranked Marlins prospect James Nelson got ahead in the count 2-0, but the 6-foot-1, 180-pound hurler retired him on a flyout to right to escape unharmed. 
"With the way he was rolling, it was exciting to watch him do his thing on the mound," Sweeney said. "It certainly seemed good after that play [at first]. I was like, 'Wow.' It had all the ingredients for something magical to happen." 
With two outs in the eighth, Jarett Rindfleisch singled up the middle to end Suarez's bid for perfection. Bettencourt relieved him and worked around an eighth-inning walk to Luis Pintor and a single by Brian Miller in the ninth to preserve the shutout. 
"He still made a good pitch in the eighth inning when he gave up the hit," Sweeney said of Suarez. "Part of the development, it's really important for guys -- we don't see it enough -- to pitch into the ninth inning, pitch when the pressure's on. Once you do it, you learn. It's something you can put a feather in your cap for. Certainly he could have done that today with the outstanding effort that he had. I think it's important for these guys to pitch into the later innings, especially in the eighth and ninth, because you don't see it too often nowadays."
Before this season, Suarez had never fanned more than eight hitters in any outing. In 2017, he's had two starts with 10 and three games with nine. The coach has seen the Carora, Venezuela native go through quite the maturation process since the two worked together in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2015.

"It's been an impressive journey," Sweeney said. "When I saw him in the Gulf Coast League, his delivery wasn't where it could have been. But he had a great feel for the baseball -- he knew what he wanted to do on the mound. His delivery had to match up with his baseball IQ. Where he really took his biggest step was last year, working with Hector Berrios in Williamsport. It really solidified his delivery to a point that he was able to use his legs more efficiently. 
"Obviously, the Phillies know exactly who he is and how he's doing, but the eyes of baseball should know Ranger Suarez is an excellent pitcher."
Hall homered and No. 18 Phillies prospectDaniel Brito singled twice, walked and scored a run for the BlueClaws.