Alex Cora: 'If we pitch, we're going to win' as Ranger Suarez dominates in Red Sox victory

On a night when 34,866 fans packed Fenway Park and were treated to Masataka Yoshida’s walk-off single in the 10th inning, the late heroics wouldn’t have been possible without Ranger Suárez’s outstanding performance on the mound.

Boston got exactly what it envisioned when it signed Suárez to a five-year, $130-million deal in January.

The left-hander carved through the Tigers lineup, and while he didn’t factor into the decision, his eight scoreless innings put the Red Sox in position to steal the opener of the four-game series.

Friday’s win was crucial in setting the tone. With reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal looming Saturday and Framber Valdez on Sunday, Boston risked a rough start to a pivotal homestand, one that also includes the Yankees and an opportunity to gain ground in the American League East.

The game didn’t start smoothly for Suárez, who looked shaky against the first few Tigers hitters. After a leadoff groundout, he allowed back-to-back singles, the second appearing headed for a double that would have put runners on second and third with one out.

But Ceddanne Rafaela’s throw to second just beat Jahmai Jones’ slide. Though Jones was initially ruled safe, the call was overturned on replay.

From that point on, Suárez locked in, retiring nine straight batters and 22 of the next 23 between the first and eighth innings. The only Detroit baserunner during that stretch came on a fourth-inning walk to Dillon Dingler, but Suárez quickly erased it by inducing an inning-ending groundout just four pitches later.

“The mix of pitches was great: cutter, sinker, four-seamer, the curveball, I mean that’s pitching right there,” manager Alex Cora said. “And against a good lineup. I’ve been saying for three weeks now, if we pitch, we’re going to win.”

His final line was excellent, hurling eight scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out four. He threw 93 pitches, 55 for strikes.

Dating back to his last start, Suárez has now tossed 14 consecutive scoreless innings.

“I think the rhythm, the rhythm I’ve been having the last two starts has helped me to locate my pitches,” Suarez said via interpreter Carlos Villoria Benítez. “I think that’s a big part of it.”

Suárez’s start to his Red Sox tenure was rocky, in part due to an uneven buildup after pitching for Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. He opened the season allowing eight earned runs on 13 hits over 8 1/3 innings across his first two starts, failing to get out of the fifth inning in either outing.

Cora pointed out after Friday’s game that the lack of a normal spring ramp-up played a role in Suárez struggling to find his rhythm early. That tracks, Suárez had a rough WBC showing, posting an elevated ERA and command issues in limited work before transitioning into the regular season  .

Now, with a more consistent routine under him, the left-hander is starting to look like the pitcher Boston expected.

“I hate using the preparation going into the season (as an excuse),” Cora said. “But it was part of it. … For a finesse pitcher, you need your reps.”

Those two rough starts now look like an outlier, as the left-hander appears to have found his groove, a turnaround that began in St. Louis, where he tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits in a 7-1 Red Sox win.

Suárez elevated his game even further Friday night, putting on a pitching clinic. He mixed his arsenal effectively, inducing soft contact while leaning on his sinker and changeup, and mixing in his curveball, cutter, and four-seamer.

Suárez kept everything on the ground, with 46.2% of balls in play going for grounders, while just 6.2% qualified as weak contact.

According to Statcast, 33.8% of balls were topped, and only 9.2% were classified as solid contact, resulting in consistently low hard contact.

As the eighth inning began, the Red Sox had Greg Weissert and Garrett Whitlock warming in the bullpen. But with Suárez at just 81 pitches, Cora stuck with his lefty. He responded by finishing the inning himself, needing just 12 more pitches and striking out Tigers rookie Hao-Yu Lee, making his major league debut, looking on a sinker.

“The mentality is to go out there and throw zeros and keep the game at zero, so that my teammates don’t have the pressure of being down in the game,” Suarez said. “So for me to be able to throw zeros was huge.”

Suárez entered Friday’s start with a 5.02 ERA and lowered it to 3.22 by night’s end. His WHIP also dropped from 1.47 to 1.07, aided by retiring 13 straight batters and extending his scoreless streak to 14 innings.

The Red Sox are now 8-0 when their starting pitcher works at least six innings. Suárez and Garrett Crochet have done it twice each, along with Sonny Gray, while Brayan Bello and Connelly Early have each done that once.

Boston now faces a stiff test over the next two games with Skubal and Valdez on the mound. Suárez did his part, setting the tone for the homestand.

“It’s always great to start the homestand with a win,” Suarez said. “Today was a huge win.”