Kyle Schwarber leads Phillies to 11-0 start vs. Braves
The post Kyle Schwarber leads Phillies to 11-0 start vs. Braves appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The Philadelphia Phillies have struggled after a mid-month surge allowed the team to reclaim control of the NL East. As Bryce Harper remains sidelined with a wrist injury, the Phillies' offense has been inconsistent. But Philadelphia bottomed out during its three-game losing streak, scoring just one run in the last three games.
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Then, suddenly, the Phillies' bats woke up as the offense erupted against the Atlanta Braves in their series opener Friday. Philadelphia jumped out to an early lead, scoring five runs in two innings. Then, in the third, the Phillies broke the game open as Kyle Schwarber capped a six-run inning with a massive home run, putting the team up 11-0.
Facing reliever Michael Peterson, Schwarber worked the count full before demolishing a 90 mph cutter to deep right center. The 439-foot blast was Schwarber's 25th homer of the season and the Phillies' fourth in three innings.
The Phillies celebrated an offensive eruption against Atlanta
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Schwarber was the first batter that Peterson faced after taking over for Bryce Elder. The Braves starter got absolutely shelled, allowing 10 runs (9 earned) on 8 hits and 4 walks in two innings.
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The Phillies would add two more runs in the ninth inning, running the final score up to 13-0. The team had scored 12 total runs over the last five games.
The Braves emerged as a possible suitor for Schwarber in free agency after the season and Atlanta got a good look at what the two-time All-Star brings to an offense. Schwarber is now tied for the fourth-most home runs in the majors and he's behind only Shohei Ohtani in the National League. His 57 RBI are the 11th-most in baseball.
Earlier this year, Schwarber hit his 300th career home run, reaching a major milestone. And the 11th-year veteran has been the Phillies' best offensive player this season by far. However, he wasn't the only contributor to the team's beatdown of the Braves.
The Phillies went off on Atlanta, racking up 17 hits and five home runs Friday. Trea Turner went deep twice in the game and scored four runs, while Nick Castellanos and Otto Kemp also homered for Philadelphia.
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The win, combined with the New York Mets' ugly 9-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, allowed the Phillies to take back first place in the NL East. However, the team is clinging to a half-game lead over New York.
Related: 3 sneaky trades Phillies must make to boost World Series chances
Related: Max Kepler claims being lied to by Phillies
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