Kyle Schwarber, Phillies hope to tee off on Orioles again
With 50 games remaining in the regular season, Kyle Schwarber is entering the National League MVP conversation.
Fresh off his latest offensive masterpiece, Schwarber hopes to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to another win over the visiting Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday.
In the series opener on Monday, Schwarber hit a two-run homer early in the contest and then belted a grand slam to cap an eight-run sixth inning as the hosts prevailed 13-3. He now leads the NL in homers (40) and RBIs (94), and his .975 OPS ranks second behind Shohei Ohtani's .978.
'He's had a great year,' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of Schwarber. 'He really has -- the home runs, the RBIs, the big hits he's had for us, the on-base (percentage). He's had a great year. ... I can understand why everybody loves him, because I do, too.'
Four other Philadelphia players homered in the Monday contest: Bryce Harper, Harrison Bader, Edmundo Sosa and Weston Wilson. In all, the power display helped the Phillies win for the fourth time in six games.
Meanwhile, the Orioles have lost four of their past five outings. They received home runs from Tyler O'Neill and Jordan Westburg early in the Monday matchup, but starter Cade Povich and three relievers combined to allow 12 unanswered runs to close out the contest.
'I thought we competed well the first five innings,' said Tony Mansolino, Baltimore's interim manager. 'Once Povich came out of the game -- he threw the ball incredibly well -- but once he came out of the game, we just weren't able to give our hitters a chance to have competitive at-bats.'
On Tuesday, Philadelphia will turn to Taijuan Walker (3-5, 3.82 ERA), who had a 3.80 ERA in five appearances (four starts) during July but did not have a win to show for it. He gave up two runs and seven hits in five innings in a no-decision against the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.
'He was up in the zone,' Thomson said after the Phillies lost that game 9-3. 'He gave up a lot of (hard hits) today, but he worked through it. ... He gave us a chance to win the ballgame.'
Walker has made 10 career starts against Baltimore, posting a 4-2 record with a 2.77 ERA.
He will be opposed by Dean Kremer (8-7, 4.27), who has made one lifetime start against the Phillies. Back in 2023, the right-hander limited Philadelphia to one run and three hits over seven innings.
More recently, Kremer allowed three runs and six hits over five innings in a no-decision against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. After the Orioles dropped that contest 9-8, Mansolino noted the effect of the heat on both starting pitchers, including Kremer, who has not absorbed a loss in any of his past eight starts.
'He was pretty red-faced as he came in,' Mansolino said, 'but he was fighting it just a tick today.'
Kremer certainly could use some offensive support from the likes of O'Neill, who has homered in five of his past eight games, and Westburg, who is 13-for-31 (.419) over his past seven games.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
11 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Orioles try to end road slide, play the Phillies
Baltimore Orioles (51-63, fifth in the AL East) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (65-48, first in the NL East) Philadelphia; Wednesday, 12:35 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Orioles: Trevor Rogers (4-2, 1.44 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 48 strikeouts); Phillies: Ranger Suarez (8-4, 2.68 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 95 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Phillies -154, Orioles +128; over/under is 8 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Baltimore Orioles travel to the Philadelphia Phillies looking to break a three-game road skid. Philadelphia has a 37-20 record at home and a 65-48 record overall. The Phillies have the ninth-best team ERA in MLB play at 3.74. Baltimore is 24-36 in road games and 51-63 overall. The Orioles rank seventh in the AL with 139 total home runs, averaging 1.2 per game. Wednesday's game is the third time these teams meet this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Trea Turner has a .280 batting average to lead the Phillies, and has 23 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs. Brandon Marsh is 13 for 30 with three home runs and five RBIs over the past 10 games. Gunnar Henderson leads the Orioles with a .283 batting average, and has 25 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs, 41 walks and 47 RBIs. Jordan Westburg is 16 for 43 with two home runs and six RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Phillies: 6-4, .252 batting average, 4.03 ERA, outscored opponents by 13 runs Orioles: 5-5, .255 batting average, 4.60 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs INJURIES: Phillies: Daniel Robert: 15-Day IL (blister), Alec Bohm: 10-Day IL (ribcage), Aaron Nola: 60-Day IL (ankle) Orioles: Tyler O'Neill: day-to-day (wrist), Zach Eflin: 15-Day IL (back), Colin Selby: 15-Day IL (hamstring), Felix Bautista: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Maverick Handley: 10-Day IL (head), Scott Blewett: 15-Day IL (elbow), Jorge Mateo: 60-Day IL (elbow), Gary Sanchez: 10-Day IL (knee), Ryan Mountcastle: 60-Day IL (hamstring), Cody Poteet: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Grayson Rodriguez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Albert Suarez: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler Wells: 60-Day IL (elbow), Kyle Bradish: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Winnipeg Free Press
18 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Kepler, Marsh homer, Walker pitches 6 shutout innings as Phillies top Orioles 5-0
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh homered and Taijuan Walker pitched six scoreless innings as the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-0 on Tuesday night and extended their winning streak to three games. Marsh opened the scoring in the second inning with an RBI double that scored Nick Castellanos and added a solo homer, his third in seven games, in the eighth inning. Marsh had gone 18 straight games without going deep. Kepler hit a two-run homer in the second inning, his 12th of the season, and Bryson Stott hit an RBI triple off the top of the wall in right field to score Kepler in the fourth. Walker (4-5) allowed four hits and struck out four without a walk in six innings. Dean Kremer (8-8) took the loss for the Orioles after allowing eight hits and four earned runs in six innings. Kremer holds a career .777 win percentage (7-2) against the NL East, the best mark in Orioles franchise history against the division, ahead of Mike Mussina (.667, 8-4). Jordan Westburg had two hits for the Orioles, who lost for the fifth time in six games. Baltimore saw its streak of seven straight games with a homer against Philadelphia, dating to July 24, 2023, come to an end. Key moment Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Kepler's two-run home run in the second inning. Key stat Castellanos extended his hitting streak to six games with a single in the second inning. He advanced to second on a balk and scored on Marsh's double to extend his run-scoring streak to seven games. Up next The Orioles will send LHP Trevor Rogers (4-2, 1.44 ERA) against Phillies LHP Ranger Suárez (8-4, 2.68 ERA) on Wednesday in the series finale.
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Phillies' reliever Alvarado rejoins team following PED ban, will be eligible later this month
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies reliever José Alvarado has rejoined the team following an 80-game suspension for violating baseball's performance-enhancing drugs policy. Alvarado was back in Philadelphia before Tuesday night's home game against Baltimore and is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment soon. The Venezuelan left-hander is eligible to return to the big leagues on Aug. 19, but can't pitch in the postseason if the Phillies qualify due to Major League Baseball rules on PED bans. Philadelphia led the NL East by 1 1/2 games over the New York Mets heading into Tuesday's games. 'I am fully aware that using prohibited substances is wrong and I would never intend to do so because I have always had great respect for the game, my organization, my teammates and the fans, all of whom I want to offer my sincere apologies,' Alvarado posted on Instagram. 'I made a mistake and therefore, I have faced the consequences set forth by MLB. Going forward, my focus is on working hard to help the team win.' Alvarado was suspended on May 18 following a positive test for an external testosterone. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the positive test was caused by a weight loss drug Alvarado took during the offseason. The Phillies used several players in the closer role after Alvarado's suspension before acquiring Jhoan Duran in a trade with Minnesota for two top prospects last week. Alvarado had a 2.70 ERA, 25 strikeouts and seven saves in 20 appearances before the suspension. The 30-year-old will lose $4.5 million, half his $9 million salary this year as part of a $22 million, three-year contract he signed in 2023, as a result of the suspension. Alvarado is 19-26 with a 3.40 ERA in 399 relief appearances and one start over nine major league seasons with Tampa Bay (2017-20) and the Phillies (2021-25). He has 52 saves in 68 appearances and appeared in 21 postseason games over the last three seasons. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. ___ AP MLB:
