Ranger Suárez and Bryce Harper help the Phillies beat the Rockies 5-0
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 16: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a two run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park on April 16, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phi ((Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images))
PHILADELPHIA - Ranger Suárez pitched a seven-hitter, Bryce Harper homered and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Colorado Rockies 5-0 on Tuesday night.
Suárez struck out eight and walked one in the majors' second complete game this season. It was the first shutout for a Philadelphia pitcher since Michael Lorenzen’s no-hitter against Washington on Aug. 9.
Harper hit an RBI double in the sixth inning and a two-run shot in the eighth.
J.T. Realmuto also went deep for Philadelphia (10-8), which moved two games over .500 for the first time this season.
Suárez (3-0) threw 112 pitches, 79 for strikes, in his second career complete game. The left-hander retired Nolan Jones on a comebacker for the final out.
Realmuto hugged Suárez, and Harper flipped the ball to the pitcher after the final out.
The Rockies dropped to 4-14 after they had a club-record 103 losses last season. They are 2-10 on the road after they had the worst road record in the majors last year at 22-59.
Colorado has scored the first run just once this season. It has been outscored 25-4 in the first inning.
The trouble continued Tuesday night. Realmuto hit a two-run shot off Austin Gomber (0-1) in the first.
The game was played in a brisk 2 hours, 7 minutes on a beautiful, 72-degree evening.
Gomber was charged with three runs and and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked none.
The Rockies blew a chance to get on the board in the sixth. Alan Trejo advanced to third on Ryan McMahon's infield single, but Trejo went too far around the base and got caught in a rundown, ending the inning.
Colorado displayed more poor baserunning in the seventh when Elehuris Montero was thrown out at second for the final out while trying to stretch a single into a double.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: OF/INF Kris Bryant was not in the lineup for the third straight day after getting injured on Saturday in Toronto when crashed into the outfield wall to make a catch. ... Both 2B Brendan Rodgers and OF Jake Cave were out for a second straight game due to illness.
UP NEXT
RHP Ryan Feltner (1-1, 3.38 ERA) starts for Colorado against LHP Cristopher Sánchez (0-2, 3.52 ERA) in the finale of the three-game series on Wednesday night.