Albert Suarez 2024

[sportsfan8703]

15 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

How about getting to a Game 3 first. 

I hear you. We do have the best record in MLB since the day Adley joined us. 

In terms of Suarez… a game 3 can be a sprint to the pen in the playoffs. I trust Suarez to go 4-5 IP then matchup with a big bullpen. He doesn’t walk people. Doesn’t give up homers. Throws strikes. Doesn’t get rattled. 

[Aristotelian]

20 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Maybe it’s just me… but a part of me is like “You gotta dance with the girl you came with.”  Let’s roll with Suarez in Game 3. 

Absent a trade, he would be my pick. 

[Moose Milligan]

23 minutes ago, waroriole said:

Is this parody? You can tell by watching him, he’s not a guy with good stuff. He’s not someone you start in a playoff game. He’s definitely valuable to us this year as someone who’s stayed healthy and can keep you in the game. And against bad offensive teams, he can make them look silly. But, I’d be concerned if he’s our #3 SP in October. 

He might be someone we’ve gotta start in a playoff game. 

[Sports Guy]

17 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

He might be someone we’ve gotta start in a playoff game. 

Hopefully not.

While I do feel the pen is a bigger need, there isn’t anyone on the current team that I want starting game 3.

[Matt Bennett]

54 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

 We do have the best record in MLB since the day Adley joined us. 

Is this true? 

[waroriole]

56 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

He might be someone we’ve gotta start in a playoff game. 

If it’s by necessity because of injuries, I guess. But I’ll be disappointed if he’s better than the #5 SP. 

[Moose Milligan]

1 hour ago, Sports Guy said:

Hopefully not.

While I do feel the pen is a bigger need, there isn’t anyone on the current team that I want starting game 3.

Are you still saying this if his level of pitching maintains through the end of the season?

[Royle]

52 minutes ago, Matt Bennett said:

Is this true? 

Only the Dodgers (.637) and the Braves (.630) have been better since 5/21/2022 than the Birds (.602)

[Three Run Homer]

I thought his breaking pitches last night were impressive.   I hadn't seen much of his curveball before last night, but it is a real weapon against right handed hitters.  To be honest I've seen Suarez as mostly a smoke and mirrors guy up to this point, but last night I saw a guy who could stick in a starting rotation.  

[jabba72]

2 hours ago, Three Run Homer said:

I thought his breaking pitches last night were impressive.   I hadn't seen much of his curveball before last night, but it is a real weapon against right handed hitters.  To be honest I've seen Suarez as mostly a smoke and mirrors guy up to this point, but last night I saw a guy who could stick in a starting rotation.  

Opponents are only batting .154 off his Changeup and .167 off his Curve so if he can command one of those every start those are obviously effective pitches. His Cutter gets hit hardest with a .289 BA against.

[Malike]

12 minutes ago, jabba72 said:

Opponents are only batting .154 off his Changeup and .167 off his Curve so if he can command one of those every start those are obviously effective pitches. His Cutter gets hit hardest with a .289 BA against.

I'd love to see what they were batting against the Cutter in his first 5 starts or so, it does not look like the same pitch, it's not cutting and just seems straight, especially up in the zone to RHB.

[e16bball]

7 hours ago, waroriole said:

Is this parody? You can tell by watching him, he’s not a guy with good stuff. He’s not someone you start in a playoff game. He’s definitely valuable to us this year as someone who’s stayed healthy and can keep you in the game. And against bad offensive teams, he can make them look silly. But, I’d be concerned if he’s our #3 SP in October. 

This whole notion of “playoff starter” being some sort of special tier for which average pitchers need not apply continues to get so overblown here. 

Again, just looking at last year, the Diamondbacks had Brandon Pfaadt start 5 playoff games for them. No one would consider him a “playoff starter.” They also twice used an opener (Joe Mantiply) and had bullpen games. In the playoffs. But there they were in the WS anyway. The Rangers had Andrew Heaney start 3 games in a piggyback with Dane Dunning. They also gave 3 starts to Max Scherzer’s mostly disembodied right arm. But there they were standing at the end anyway.

Some other guys who started playoff games last year: Jose Urquidy (x2), Bailey Ober, Bobby Miller, Braxton Garrett, Lance Lynn, Dean Kremer, Bryce Elder. And that list would be even more raggedy looking if more teams had made it deeper into their opening series.

No, Albert Suarez shouldn't be anyone’s Plan A as SP3, nor should he be Plan B or even Plan C. He wasn’t ours, and I don’t think he’s even our Plan D(ean). And there’s a good chance Elias will try to seek out an alternative Plan E at the deadline.

But if we land on Suarez as SP3, backed up by someone like Irvin or Povich, we’re still going to have every chance to compete with anyone. It’s not a disqualifier. How many high-end SPs do we have to beat this year before folks accept that the identity of the starting pitcher is only one part of the winning equation?