Categories: 2023 Postgame Recaps

Schwarber sets career-high, Turner exits in loss to Mets

Kyle Schwarber hit his 47th home run of the season on Saturday. (Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire)

Kyle Schwarber’s historically bizarre season has been well-documented: the walks, the strikeouts, the average. You can now add a personal milestone to that list.

Schwarber cranked his 47th home run of the season in a doubleheader Game 2 loss to the New York Mets on Saturday, a career-high for the Phillies’ designated hitter. His highest and second-highest home-run-hitting seasons have each come in a Phillies uniform, and his next homer will be his 100th, regular season plus postseason, since signing with the Phillies before the 2022 season.

It was the first of three semi-important things to happen in the game, none of which had anything to do with the 11-4 final score.

The second came in the top of the seventh inning, when Trea Turner was hit in the left elbow. Turner didn’t seem to be in a ton of pain immediately after the 86.6-mph HBP, and he stayed in to run the bases before leaving during the seventh-inning stretch.

The Phillies said he departed with a bruised left elbow. Given the above context, plus the magnitude of the game — that is, zero magnitude — there was reason to believe it was a precautionary removal. Thomson confirmed after the game it was largely that: He expects Turner to be good to go for Tuesday.

The third relevant aspect of Saturday’s loss was the Phillies relievers in, presumably, their final tune-up appearance before Game 1 of the Wild Card Series on Tuesday. Jeff Hoffman threw 10 pitches in 1/3 of an inning, Orion Kerkering allowed a run and struck out two in the fifth, José Alvarado punched out two in a perfect sixth, Craig Kimbrel struck out the side in an eye-opening seventh and Cristopher Sánchez — out of the bullpen, perhaps in a playoff preview — threw their third straight 1-2-3 inning in the eighth.

The Phillies’ Wild Card opponent cleared up slightly during the game, when the Miami Marlins clinched a playoff spot by beating Pittsburgh and the Cincinnati Reds appeared on their way to a loss in St. Louis — which would clinch the last NL playoff spot for Arizona.

If the Astros hold on to beat the Diamondbacks, the Phillies will play the Marlins with a Miami win on Sunday or in their suspended game on Monday — which they currently lead in the ninth — or if the Diamondbacks lose on Sunday. In other words, the Marlins’ magic number for the No. 5 seed would be one.

It’s still worth rooting for the Marlins to have to finish that suspended game in New York on Monday the day before Game 1. And it’s also worth seeing if the Phillies can salvage a game in New York to earn their 90th win of the season. With the doubleheader sweep, they’re 89-72.

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