The importance of Ranger Suarez for these Red Sox

From a roster construction standpoint, the Boston Red Sox' trade of starting pitcher Connelly Early for infielder Curtis Mead made sense. And on paper, the Red Sox still have a strong starting rotation.

But there is also no denying that their pitching depth did take a hit Saturday night, which only served to further highlight the importance of Ranger Suarez's return Sunday afternoon after three weeks on the injured list.

Suarez looked good. He gave the Red Sox pretty much exactly what they were hoping for in a 6-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays that gave Boston its sixth straight series victory. Operating on a pitch count, Suarez threw 64 pitches (42 strikes) over four shutout innings, striking out six while allowing four hits and no walks. His velocity was down slightly, but his command was good and the Blue Jays struggled to make solid contact.

Now the Red Sox need Suarez to keep building, and to stay healthy. They need their starting pitching to remain a strength even with Early out the door, and it's hard to envision that happening without Suarez being a strong No. 2 starter down the stretch.

Sonny Gray has played the role of ace and has been excellent in it, but Saturday's slip-up (5 runs allowed) was a reminder that he is still human. Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett's stellar rookie seasons helped make Early expendable, but they're still rookies, and their workloads may need to be managed down the stretch. Patrick Sandoval has been good in two of his three starts so far, but he is still building up after missing two years due to Tommy John surgery. The Red Sox would love to get Garrett Crochet back at some point, but there's just no guarantee that's going to happen.

It's an equation that's been working, and it absolutely could continue to work. But barring a trade for another starter in the next week, there's no longer a whole lot of wiggle room for any part of the equation to go wrong.

On Sunday, Suarez took an important step towards shoring up his part of the equation. In the process, he helped the Red Sox avoid what could have been a letdown in the form of a series loss right after having their 15-game winning streak snapped. One day after getting one-hit by Dylan Cease, the offense came back to life too, with Jarren Duran leading the way (3-for-4, 2 RBIs, run scored).

The Red Sox closed out their post-All-Star break homestand with an impressive 8-2 record, and they have now won 17 of their last 19 overall. With a week to go before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, they have firmly positioned themselves as buyers as they now head out to California for seven games.