Kyle Schwarber will take a four-game home-run streak into the opener of a three-game series Tuesday when the Philadelphia Phillies travel to Boston to face the Red Sox.
Schwarber has five total home runs in his last four games, and 16 home runs this season, as the Phillies have gone 10-3 since April 28. He entered the week tied with the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge for the MLB lead in homers.
Philadelphia’s 6-0 home victory over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday was powered by two Schwarber long balls as he continues to flash the form that led to his career-best 56 home runs last season.
“I feel like there’s obviously been some good results, you know?” Schwarber said. “There’s still some more things that I want to work on and cut out. But obviously, (Sunday was) a good result day.”
Schwarber’s four-game homer streak is the longest by a Phillies player since Trea Turner hit home runs in five straight games, Aug. 28-Sept. 2, 2023.
And playing at Boston is not expected to slow him down. Schwarber, who played 41 games for the Red Sox in 2021, is a career .319 hitter in 26 career games at Fenway Park with nine home runs.
“He’s been tremendous,” Philadelphia outfielder Brandon Marsh said. “And we’re gonna have to keep relying on him.”
Boston has a 7-12 record at home, worst in the American League. Sunday’s 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay was the sixth time this season Boston has failed to score more than one run in a home game. And all have come since April 17.
Boston first baseman Willson Contreras left Sunday’s game after he was hit by a pitch on the right hand in the first inning.
“The quick scans that we do here came back negative, which is good,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “Sore. That’s all we know at this point. We’re just obviously going to have an off day (Monday) and that helps a lot. And then we’ll kind of reevaluate him and hopefully we’re okay there.”
Contreras is batting .259 with a .380 on-base percentage in 39 games this season, his first with the Red Sox. He has eight home runs, four doubles and 23 RBIs.
Zack Wheeler (1-0, 3.16 ERA) is scheduled to start the series opener for Philadelphia while making his fourth start after his season was delayed while recovering from surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. He is 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA in four career starts against Boston.
Tracy said the Red Sox will use a yet-to-be named opener in front of Brayan Bello (2-4, 7.44). It will be Bello’s first career appearance against the Phillies.
Bello had a 9.12 ETA after six starts this season, before he was used after an opener last Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers. Bello limited the Tigers to one run on four hits over seven innings to earn the victory.
The Phillies are 10-3 since interim manager Don Mattingly replaced Rob Thomson on April 28.
“We’ve got to move on to Boston now, and take a series there against a tough team,” Marsh said. “So that’s what we focus on.”
–Field Level Media
