Categories: 2023 Postgame Recaps

Loud first inning sets the tone as Phillies roll past Diamondbacks

June Schwarber struck again on Tuesday. (Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire)

Final Score: Phillies 15, Diamondbacks 3

For the Phillies to be truly committed to the brand, there was no other way they could’ve followed up Monday’s gut-punch loss than by doing this.

Kyle Schwarber got it started in predictable fashion. He crushed yet another home run, his 18th of the season and his fifth in 12 games this June, 450 feet to right field. It set the tone quite well for the Phillies, who tacked on three more in the opening frame and rolled to a blowout victory over the NL West-leading Diamondbacks.

Two batters after the homer, Nick Castellanos drove in Trea Turner with his first of two doubles (a category in which he’s second in baseball with 23) before coming around on an error. Alec Bohm later drove in a RISP (a recurring theme) with a groundout to make it 4-0 early.

Bohm came through again in the third with an RBI knock that scored Bryce Harper, following a double steal by Harper and J.T. Realmuto. Bohm is now hitting .354 with runners in scoring position this season.

That’s when things went from bad to ugly for Arizona. Clemens lifted a lazy fly ball to left for the second out, but Corbin Carroll — the phenom easily leading the NL Rookie of the Year race and even hanging around the MVP conversation — thought it was the third.

When Carroll turned his back to grab his fallen hat and trot off the field, Realmuto took advantage of the rookie mistake.

The four-run inning might’ve been enough anyway, but the Phillies’ ability to tack on more after a hot start, partially on the strength of Carroll’s blunder, all but put things away even before the floodgates truly opened late — largely because Zack Wheeler gave the Phillies the start they needed after using all eight relievers over the previous two days.

Wheeler tossed six innings, surrendering four hits and only allowing a run once the Phillies already led 7-0 in the sixth.

But the headliner of the day wasn’t Carroll’s blunder, Schwarber’s titanic blast, Wheeler’s second straight strong start or even the fact that every hitter in the Phillies’ starting lineup recorded a hit (and eight recorded two). Arguably, it was Bryson Stott.

Stott hit his sixth homer of the season in the top of the fifth for his second of a team-high three hits on the night.

Realmuto had himself a night as well, again. The day after the first Phillies cycle since 2004, he got halfway to the feat with a triple and an RBI double that made it 11-2 in the eighth, two batters after Castellanos’ second double drove in a pair.

The Phillies beat up on a position player for four more runs in the ninth. Luis Ortiz took over for Wheeler and fired the final three innings to end it. The Phillies are 33-34 and have won eight of 10.

Shibe Vintage Sports Notes

Stott’s three-hit night raised his batting average over .300 for the first time since May 5. The ever-steady young second baseman hasn’t concluded a game with his season average below .276 since Opening Day.

Here’s a niche and admittedly hyper-specific stat: Schwarber’s colossal blast was the 52nd June homer of his career; only nine active players have that many (or more), and all debuted at least three seasons before Schwarber did in 2015. Schwarber entered Tuesday with a career .604 June slugging percentage that led active hitters with at least 100 June games.
The Phillies have scored at least 15 runs in two of their past three games at Chase Field.
Wheels Up:

Ticket IQ Next Game