How new Red Sox pitcher Ranger Suarez finesses his way through a lineup

"Suarez starts Altuve off with a curveball, and it's a perfect one. Altuve was looking to ambush a first-pitch fastball, and winds up out in front as a result. If he were looking for a curveball, Suarez put it in a spot where it's difficult to keep fair. Now at 0-1, Suarez can either work to the other side of the plate with a changeup or change speeds with one of his fastballs."

"He goes to a cutter, and it's in a good spot on the inside edge. It's another pitch that's difficult to keep fair if he does get a swing, but still gets a called strike if it doesn't. Altuve is looking to bunt and gets a piece of it, but fouls it into the mitt. Now at 0-2, Suarez can throw whatever he wants, as long as it isn't good to hit."

"Before the pitch, Suarez was called for a pitch timer violation, making the count 1-2. I somehow managed to pick the at-bat with his only violation of the season, believe it or not. Anyways, it's his first changeup of the game, and it's non-competitive. At 2-2, he can still throw whatever he feels good about. Personally, I like doubling up on the changeup. With two outs and nobody on base, it's a low-risk"

Ranger Suarez attacked Jose Altuve by starting with a perfectly placed curveball that exploited Altuve's tendency to ambush a first-pitch fastball. Suarez followed with an inside cutter that was difficult to keep fair and resulted in a foul off the bat, creating an 0-2 hole. A pitch-timer violation altered the count to 1-2 before Suarez's first changeup of the game proved non-competitive and resulted in a 2-2 count. Suarez's approach prioritized mixing breaking balls and offspeed offerings to keep the hitter off-balance. Doubling up on changeups or using a sinker that starts at the front hip were suggested low-risk strategies with two outs and nobody on.

Read at Over the Monster