For the first time in a while, San Diego Padres closer Robert Suarez has appeared “human.”
Suarez blew his second save in three chances on Sunday during a 4-3 victory against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park.
“Human,” is how manager Mike Shildt described Suarez’s recent performance. “He was pretty much better than human for much of the season. The ball is coming out well. … Credit goes to Ramos for a good swing and a solid at-bat. They’ve been catching up to pitches and hitting them well to the opposite field, which is tough to do. But he’s throwing 99, 100, 101. His stuff is still impressive.
“It’s part of the game. Over a season, you’ll give up some well-hit balls, especially when you’re closing games. … But I’d still trust him in a one-run game tomorrow.
On Suarez’s seventh pitch, a 3-2 fastball at 100.2 mph, Heliot Ramos sent a fly ball to the opposite field, clearing the high brick wall in right and landing in the San Francisco Bay—marking the first right-handed “splash hit” in Oracle Park’s 25-year history.
While strong winds influenced the ball’s trajectory, that homer added to Suarez’s recent woes.
Sunday marked his second blown save in three opportunities. On September 5, he surrendered a grand slam to Austin Meadows, the Tigers’ No. 9 hitter.
Suarez has pitched 59 innings this season, which is 31.1 more than in 2023 and the most since his 62.1 innings in Japan in 2021. He hasn’t had a clean outing in his last eight appearances, carrying a troubling 6.14 ERA over his last 14 games (14.2 innings).
This stands in stark contrast to his early-season success, where he converted 32 of his first 34 save opportunities and posted a stellar 1.42 ERA over his first 44 outings (44.1 innings).
Ultimately, the Padres secured the win by scoring two runs off Camilo Doval in the 10th inning, clinching the 4-3 victory and completing a three-game sweep of the Giants.