Final Score: Phillies 7, Diamondbacks 5
Rhys Hoskins homered twice, Kyle Schwarber hit a three-run home run and the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks Friday evening.
The Phillies have now won eight games in a row, seven of which have come since Rob Thomson became the interim manager following the firing of Joe Girardi. The run differential under Thompson is now +35.
With the win, the Phillies have climbed all the way back to .500 (29-29), something that seemed it may not happen at all in 2022 just a week ago. They’ll look to clinch the series win over the Diamondbacks Saturday, when reigning National League Pitcher of the Month Zack Wheeler will take the ball.
Kyle Schwarber Continues To Own The Month Of June
A year ago, Schwarber revived his career and won National League Player of the Month in June, homering 16 times and driving in 30 runs for the Washington Nationals.
That month helped propel Schwarber to the four-year/$79 million deal he signed with the Phillies in March. Now, in his first June with the Phillies, he’s off to a similarly hot start.
With Garrett Stubbs and Bryson Stott on base and a run already across in the bottom of the second inning, Schwarber connected on a 3-2 pitch from Zac Gallen and hit a 391-foot home run:
Schwarber already has five home runs in June, and over his last 133 at-bats in the month (dating back to last season), he has a staggering 21 home runs.
Daulton Varsho Has Monster Night For Snakes
The Phillies won their eighth game in a row Friday, despite a huge night from Daulton Varsho. The catcher/left fielder/DH hybrid is the son of former Phillies bench coach and interim manager Gary Varsho.
Varsho hit a 403-foot home run off the facing of the second deck in the top of the sixth inning, before plating two with an RBI double an inning later:
Varsho’s 1.5 fWAR is third among all qualified catchers, slightly above the 1.4 mark of J.T. Realmuto.
Mr. Hoskins & The Big Steppers
Hoskins’ second home run of the night came in response to a four-run top of the seventh from the Diamondbacks, and gave the Phillies an insurance run.
Whether it counts as a bat flip, toss or skip, the manner in which Hoskins discarded his lumber after his 11th home of the season oozed confidence:
Shibe Vintage Sports Pitching Performance
- Zac Gallen entered Friday with a 4-1 record and a 2.40 ERA, very much in the discussion to make his first All-Star team. Dreams of the midsummer classic aren’t dashed for the 26-year-old, but his start against the Phillies certainly didn’t help his chances. While his defense failed him, Gallen gave up seven hits and six runs — four of which were earned — over just 1 2/3 innings.
- Kyle Gibson allowed four hits and three earned runs over six-plus innings this evening. While he probably shouldn’t have been brought back out to start the seventh inning, the 34-year-old has consistently given the Phillies a chance to win in 2022.
The last time that the Phillies won eight games in a row came during the 2021 season from Aug. 1 to Aug. 8. Zack Wheeler pitched a complete game shutout on the day that Roy Halladay’s No. 34 was retired, the eighth win during the streak. At the end of that winning streak, the Phillies were 59-53 and had a two-game lead in the National League East over the Mets. The eventual World Series Champion Braves were 2 1/2 games back of the Phillies.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Saturday, July 11 vs. Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park
- 4:05 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
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