Schwarber’s colossal grand slam ignites seven unanswered runs, skid-stopping win — and possibly much more

Final score: Phillies 9, Marlins 5

If the Phillies held a team meeting before hosting the Miami Marlins on Wednesday night, Kyle Schwarber likely found himself with one of the bigger speaking roles.

If they didn’t, Schwarber did the talking a different way a few hours later.

Schwarber’s fourth-inning grand slam, turning a three-run deficit into a one-run advantage, which eventually turned into four, enough for a 9-5 win to snap a four-game losing streak, whose fourth leg came the previous night in what felt like a rock-bottom 5-0 loss to the third-worst team in baseball, may or may not have changed the season. The next several weeks will decide that. The several after that will decide whether anyone remembers it.

In the here and the now, though, it certainly feels like if anything can, that was it.

Highlights

• The boo birds were out early at Citizens Bank Park after Tyler Phillips hit a batter, allowed a single and got taken yard by Jonah Bride for a 3-0 hole — all with one out in the first.
• The Phillies got on the board against Edward Cabrera in the second in fittingly unexciting fashion: a double play by Edmundo Sosa.
• They added another in the third in slightly more exciting fashion: a Bryce Harper force out, barely beating the subsequent throw to first to score Johan Rojas.
• The Marlins got two right back against Phillips. Three straight one-out singles and a sacrifice fly pushed the lead back to three.
• And the bottom half of the inning is where everything changed. A two-out single by Rojas loaded the bases (Bryson Stott had singled and J.T. Realmuto had walked) before Schwarber provided a swing off Cabrera that, if things go according to plan, will be seen as the turning point in the latter half of this Phillies season.

• After Phillips/José Ruiz worked out of a jam in the fifth, Matt Strahm worked a perfect sixth and Jeff Hoffman struck out three in the seventh, the Phillies rewarded the efforts with insurance. Bryce Harper doubled, Alec Bohm singled him home, Stott doubled Bohm to third and Realmuto drove them both in with a double. All of it happened with two outs.

• It made the next inning (a bit) less stressful. José Alvarado put two on with one out but pitched around it.
• Carlos Estévez put a bow on a good, necessary night at Citizens Bank Park.

Notes

• Tyler Phillips’ final line: 4.1 innings, 9 hits, 5 runs (all earned), 1 walk, 4 strikeouts. He has a 13.91 ERA in three starts since his shutout of the Guardians.
• Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh each had a multi-hit game. It was Marsh’s first since Aug. 3 and Stott’s first since July 31.
• Do with this what you will:

Ticket IQ Next Game

• Thursday, Aug. 15 vs. Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park
• 6:40 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Radio: 1210 WPHT
• Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680

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