Coming out of the Los Angeles Angels’ 10-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Monday, most of the talk is about the offensive onslaught led by Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. However, much less attention is being given to the impressive performance of Jose Suarez on the mound.
Suarez has been on a roll lately, and he continued that hot streak on Monday night. Suarez tossed 92 pitches in 7.0 innings, allowing zero runs on just three hits and one walk, all while striking out seven batters. It’s the fourth time in his last seven starts that he did not allow a single earned run.
Angels interim manager Phil Nevin ensured that the night would not pass without Suarez getting the credit he deserves. He spoke about the individual performance and what it did for the team, according to Jeff Fletcher of The O.C. Register:
“We did a lot of things well tonight, starting with Suarez setting the tone,” Nevin said. “That’s one of the better ones I’ve seen him throw. He was locating and had everything working. His velocity was up. The changeup was good.”
Suarez’s performance helped net the Angels their 17th shutout win of the season. Shockingly, the Halos are tied with the New York Mets for most shutout wins in all of baseball this season. Nearly 30% of the Angels wins this season are of the shutout variety.
And now, Suarez’s stretch of good play extends another start. In his last seven outings, Suarez has allowed a total of eight earned runs, leading to a 1.76 ERA and 0.902 WHIP. Opponents are batting just .185 against Suarez with a .506 OPS during that time.
It’s safe to say that Suarez is once again looking like the pitcher that had a breakout 2021 campaign to earn himself a legitimate role in the Angels future. As the team heads into 2023, there is no doubt that Suarez is a part of their plans, regardless of whether they choose to contend or tear things down.
Suarez is just 24 years old and won’t be 25 until closer to the start of Spring Training in 2023.
Trout and Ohtani explode at the plate
While Suarez was dealing on the mound, shutting out the Tigers and limiting them to just four baserunners in seven innings, Trout and Ohtani were providing him with all sorts of run support.
The two superstars combined to go 6-for-9 with three home runs, four RBIs, six runs, and two doubles.