Ranger Suárez turned in another dominant performance on the mound, allowing only two hits across seven shutout innings as the Philadelphia Phillies extended their winning streak to seven games with a 7-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night. The left-handed Suárez has now tossed 25 consecutive scoreless innings, improving his record to 4-0 on the season. Since returning from a brief stint on the injured list, the 28-year-old Venezuelan has been untouchable, winning his last four starts while surrendering just one earned run in 26 innings pitched.
In front of a small crowd at Great American Ball Park, Suárez relied on a mix of fastballs, changeups, and sinkers to keep the Reds’ batters off balance. He struck out five and walked just one, lowering his ERA to a minuscule 0.69. Meanwhile, the Phillies’ offense provided just enough support, with Kody Clemens delivering the biggest blow of the night in the ninth inning with a three-run home run off reliever Casey Legumina.
Clemens, who was promoted from Triple-A Lehigh Valley earlier in the day to fill in for the paternity leave-bound Bryce Harper, made the most of his opportunity, driving a 2-2 pitch deep to right field for his first major league home run. It capped off a strong night for the Phillies, who scored at least seven runs for the fifth straight game.
Despite the lopsided score, Reds’ starter Hunter Greene turned in a solid outing, allowing just four runs on seven hits in seven innings of work. The 23-year-old right-hander struck out seven batters and showed encouraging signs of progress, especially with his fastball velocity consistently hitting the high 90s.
With the win, the Phillies improved to 27-18 on the season, while the Reds fell to 14-32. The two teams will square off again on Tuesday night in Cincinnati, with Cristopher Sánchez taking the mound for the Phillies and Andrew Abbott starting for the Reds.
