PHOENIX — Lefty José Suarez didn’t get a victory on Saturday, but he might as well have.
“Suarez made that game possible,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said after their 8-7 come-from-behind victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. “He absolutely made that game possible.”
Suarez entered in the fourth inning after Alex Cobb had dug the Angels a 5-0 hole, and he held the Diamondbacks to one run over the next four innings, while the Angels chipped away. He yielded to Alex Claudio, who worked the eighth and got the decision after the Angels took the lead in the top of the ninth.
After Cobb was off the hook for the loss, he gave props to Suarez.
“What José Suarez did today can’t go unnoticed,” Cobb said. “He’s done that all year. He’s taken the ball whenever asked. He’s one of my favorite guys to watch on the mound on this team. He doesn’t care about the situation, doesn’t care about anything going on. He’s going to take the ball and challenge guys and throw all of his pitches in the zone. He’s a lot of fun to watch go about his business.”
It’s been a dramatic change for Suarez, who had a 7.99 ERA in his big league opportunities in 2019 and 2020. This year the 23-year-old has a 2.30 ERA, which is certainly encouraging for an organization desperate for pitching.
Maddon said he loves Suarez’s improved command of his fastball and his changeup, and also the way he handles himself on the mound. He said he notices Suarez taking deep breaths to keep himself calm.
“He’s always under control,” Maddon said.
QUINTANA UPDATE
Starting pitcher José Quintana, who is out with shoulder inflammation, is scheduled to throw another bullpen session on Monday. After that, he is expected to make at least one rehab appearance.
“He’s in good order,” Maddon said. “He’s ready to go. Everything seems to be fine.”
With at least a couple of steps left before Quintana would be ready to return to the rotation, Maddon said it’s too early to project what they would do with him. The Angels already have six starters and all of them have been more effective than Quintana, who has a 7.22 ERA.
“Baseball has a cruel way of making its own decisions,” Maddon said. “Just play it out. You do like the depth. You do want people to do well. Something’s probably going to happen that you’re going to need him.”
A BAD RULE?
A day after the Angels pulled out a victory in 10 innings, Maddon reiterated that he’s not in favor of the second-year rule in which extra innings start with a runner at second base.
“I’m not a fan,” Maddon said. “I’ve been very vocal about that from the beginning. If they want to continue, I’d like to see a modified version. In the 10th inning, straight baseball. In the 11th inning, maybe put a guy on first. Maybe from the 12th inning on, put a guy at second. Something like that would be, for me, more tasty than just this abrupt moment.”
Maddon nonetheless was pleased that the Angels were able to win, especially after the way the game reached that point. The Angels blew a two-run lead in the sixth and a one-run lead in the ninth, on Raisel Iglesias’ first blown save since April 23.
They scored a run in the top of the 10th and held the Diamondbacks in the bottom of the inning.
“One of my favorite signs of a really solid group is when you win in extra innings on the road,” Maddon said after Friday’s game. “And when you win in extra innings on the road with fabricated rules, that makes it even better.”
NOTES
The Angels traded relief pitcher Hunter Strickland to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for cash considerations. Strickland had been designated for assignment earlier in the week, after allowing seven earned runs in 6-1/3 innings with the Angels, who picked him up from the Tampa Bay Rays in May. …
Maddon put his pitcher in the No. 8 spot in the lineup on Saturday, as he’s done for all three games in National League parks when he’s had someone other than Shohei Ohtani pitching. Maddon said during his years with the Chicago Cubs he thought a lot about where the pitcher should hit, and he finally determined that he liked the pitcher hitting a little earlier so it allowed him to pinch-hit for him sooner. It also put an extra hitter immediately in front of the leadoff hitter. …Maddon referred to Justin Upton as “Rickey,” a nod to Hall of Fame leadoff hitter Rickey Henderson. Upton got hot after Maddon moved him to the leadoff spot for the first time in his career. Although Maddon juggled some other hitters in his lineup, he said he’s not moving Upton. “Rickey is staying put.”
UP NEXT
Angels (LHP Patrick Sandoval, 0-2, 3.62 ERA) at Diamondbacks (RHP Jon Duplantier, 0-2, 10.03), Sunday, 1:10 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM
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