Categories: 2023 Postgame Recaps

Kyle Schwarber continues to be that dude

Kyle Schwarber hit a leadoff home run and made a leaping catch in Tuesday’s game against the Brewers. (Don Otto/Phillies Nation)

Final Score: Phillies 4, Brewers 3

Like it or not, Kyle Schwarber continues to be “that dude.”

Sure, it’s been a frustrating year for the 30-year-old. He’s batting .189 with a slugging percentage down by around 50 points relative to last season. His -14 outs above average in left field also ranks dead last in baseball. Anyone with eyes can see that Schwarber is dealing with something that’s impacting his lower half, but he trudges along.

But all of that doesn’t stop him from going on a stretch where he heroically carries the team on his back. He’s on another one of those tears. In his last four games, Schwarber has five hits and four of them are home runs. It marks the first time in his career that Schwarber has homered in four straight games.

And even though Schwarber is not the prototypical high on-base, high speed leadoff bat, the Phillies keep him in that spot because he hits home runs and they value his ability to set the tone with a long drive to give the Phillies the lead.

He did that again tonight. Schwarber ambushed the first pitch from Julio Teherán for his 26th career leadoff home run to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead.

Opposing teams fear giving Schwarber a pitch to hit and falling behind from the get-go.

“The first hitter of the game putting a run up for them hurt as much as anything,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.

Later in the fifth, Schwarber added to the mystic with an act of wizardry. Brewers first baseman Owen Miller hit a deep fly to left off Aaron Nola. Schwarber jumped and caught it at the 334 marker to give Nola what ended up being an important second out of the inning.

“Everyone’s a little shocked, I guess, that I can play left field,” Schwarber joked.

Schwarber has received a ton of backlash for his low batting average and poor play in left. While some of it is deserved, it sometimes gets taken to an extreme when fans claim that he does nothing well. We’ve already seen it a couple times this summer. Schwarber gets hot, hits a few home runs, makes a play like the one he made in Tuesday’s game and everyone falls in love with him all over again.

Speaking of players who draw the ire of the fanbase, Nola was fantastic in Tuesday’s game. He was perfect through 4 2/3 innings and ended up grinding it out to pitch into the eighth inning for the third time this season and earn his ninth win of 2023.

Nola said slowing down his delivery — and the eight days of extra rest — was the key to his success.

“I feel like I was rushing down to the mound, especially in Miami,” Nola said. “A lot of fastballs were up in the zone and it was tough for me to get the ball down there, so just tried to slow everything down and simplify it.”

Gregory Soto navigated second and third with one out in the eighth, allowing only one inherited run to score to maintain the Phillies’ 4-3 lead. Craig Kimbrel earned his 16th save in the ninth to close out the game.

Trea Turner went 2-for-4 and hit his third triple of the year. Bryson Stott went 2-for-4 with an RBI double. The Phillies are now a season-high 10 games over .500 at 52-42.

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