Ranger Surez Has a Mountain to Climb in from seestyle's blog

The got a lucky break on Monday evening when rain postponed World Series Game 3 until the following night. Ranger Surez, their number three starter, would be rested enough to start Game 3 instead of waiting until Game 4. But while the Phillies are glad to have Surez on the mound, that doesn't mean things will be easy for him far from it. The Houston Astros have one of the best lineups in Mark Bavaro Jersey baseball, and they've been particularly fearsome against left-handed pitching. Surez has his work cut out for him.As if pitching against the Astros in the World Series wasn't stre sful enough, Surez will also be throwing the first pitch of the first World Series game in Philadelphia since 2009. It will be a momentous occasion, and expectations will be high. Tens of thousands of home fans will be there to watch the Phillies win.For another thing, Surez will be asked to Jabrill Peppers Jersey succeed where Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler both failed. Perhaps "failed" is a little harsh, but they each allowed the Astros to get out to an early five-run lead not exactly what you want from your aces in the World Series. Now, the number three starter will hope to keep Houston's powerful offense off the board Will Hernandez Jersey and give the Phillies a chance to build a lead.Scroll to ContinueTo makes things even more stre sful for the 27-year-old left-hander, he will be facing a lineup that completely shelled him in his last start of the regular season. He lasted just three innings and gave up six runs, including three homers. Itwas almost certainly the worst outing of his career, and it was a terrible way to finish his first full season as a starting pitcher. It's hard to imagine he won't be a little rattled as he starts against the Astros once more.It should help that Surez has already pitched in the series, having thrown an inning in relief during Game 1. He faced the middle of Houston's order Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Tucker and performed admirably, especially Eli Manning Jersey against Alvarez. On the other hand, that means Alvarez, Tucker, and Bregman are all a little more familiar with his stuff.Every matchup against a hitter of their ilk is its own battle, and that battle gets a little bit harder in each subsequent plate appearance.With all of this in mind, it's clear this start won't be a walk in the park for Surez. It will be the hardest outing of his young career, bar none. Then again, if he succeeds, it will also become the greatest Kyle Lauletta Jersey game he's ever pitched. The stakes have never been higher.Ranger has a mountain to climb on Tuesday night. All we can do is hope he has what it takes to reach the top.More From SI's Inside The Phillies: