Ranger Suárez, Bryce Harper help Phillies to MLB-best 35th win - ESPN

PHILADELPHIA — Ranger Suárez struck out 10 over seven innings and improved to 9-0 to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to their MLB-best 35th win, a 5-2 victory over the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.

Suárez's season-opening run rivals Hall of Famers Grover Alexander and Juan Marichal among the best in baseball history.

Bryce Harper hit his 11th homer of the season to help the Phillies win for the ninth time in 11 games and continue one of the best starts in franchise history.

The Phillies have won 35 of their first 49 games for the second time in franchise history (1976). The Phillies are 27-6 in their past 33 games, marking the first time since at least 1901 they have won 27 games in a 33-game span.

This season, no pitcher in baseball has been better than Suárez.

«He knows what it takes to win games,» Harper said.

The 28-year-old lefty walked off to a standing ovation in the seventh after he caught Leody Taveras looking on a 91.6 mph sinker to end the inning. Suárez took a no-decision in his first start of the season before he reeled of wins in nine straight starts.

«I just try to throw and do the best work that I can,» Suárez said through an interpreter.

Suárez lowered his ERA to 1.36, the third lowest by a Phillies pitcher in his first 10 starts of a season. Suárez trails Alexander, who had a 1.24 ERA in first 10 starts of 1916 and a 1.31 ERA in his first 10 of 1915.

Suárez is the first pitcher to start 9-0 with a sub-1.50 ERA through 10 starts since Marichal did it for the San Francisco Giants in 1966. He's also the first Phillies pitcher since Robin Roberts (1952) to win at least nine consecutive starts.

«It's kind of mind-boggling, this historic run that he's been on,» Phillies