BASEBALL: Kyle Schwarber, Phillies strut into series vs. Red Sox

Kyle Schwarber will carry a four-game home run streak into Tuesday’s series opener as the Philadelphia Phillies travel to Boston to face the Red Sox in a three-game set.

Schwarber has hit five home runs over his last four games and now has 16 on the season, helping the Phillies surge to a 10-3 record since April 28. He entered the week tied with New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge for the Major League Baseball home run lead.

Philadelphia’s 6-0 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday was fueled by two Schwarber home runs, continuing a strong stretch of form reminiscent of his career-best 56-homer season last year.

“I feel like there’s obviously been some good results,” Schwarber said. “There are still some things I want to work on and clean up. But obviously, (Sunday) was a good results day.”

Schwarber’s four-game home run streak is the longest by a Phillies player since Trea Turner homered in five consecutive games from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2, 2023.

A return to Boston may not slow him down. Schwarber played 41 games for the Red Sox in 2021 and is a career .319 hitter at Fenway Park with nine home runs in 26 games.

“He’s been tremendous,” Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh said. “We’re going to keep relying on him.”

The Red Sox enter the series struggling at home with a 7-12 record, the worst in the American League. Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays marked the sixth time this season Boston has scored one run or fewer at Fenway Park, all of which have come since April 17.

Boston also had injury concerns after first baseman Willson Contreras exited Sunday’s game following a hit by pitch on his right hand in the first inning.

“The quick scans came back negative, which is good,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “He’s sore. That’s all we know right now. We have an off day (Monday), which helps. We’ll reevaluate him and hopefully everything is okay.”

Contreras is batting .259 with a .380 on-base percentage through 39 games in his first season with Boston. He has eight home runs, four doubles, and 23 RBIs.

On the mound for Philadelphia, Zack Wheeler (1-0, 3.16 ERA) is scheduled to start the opener as he makes his fourth appearance of the season after recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. He holds a 2-1 record with a 2.81 ERA in four career starts against Boston.

The Red Sox are expected to use a yet-to-be-announced opener ahead of Brayan Bello (2-4, 7.44 ERA), who will make his first career start against the Phillies. Bello bounced back in his last outing after working behind an opener against the Detroit Tigers, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings to earn the win.

Philadelphia has gone 10-3 since interim manager Don Mattingly took over for Rob Thomson on April 28.

“We’ve got to move on to Boston now and take a series against a tough team,” Marsh said. “That’s what we’re focused on.” -Field Level Media/Reuters