Riding the momentum of one mighty swing, the Philadelphia Phillies hope to put their recent troubles in the rear-view mirror.
Kyle Schwarber launched his seventh career grand slam in the fourth inning on Wednesday, helping the Phillies halt a four-game slide with a 9-5 victory over the Miami Marlins.
National League East-leading Philadelphia will look to build steam on Thursday evening in the opener of a four-game series against the visiting Washington Nationals.
Schwarber provided the big blast, quieting the boo birds at Citizens Bank Park by turning the Phillies’ 5-2 deficit into a 6-5 lead. The Phillies went on to record just their eighth win in the past 25 games.
“There’s the element of the cliche quote. It’s a long season. Yeah, it is a long season. (But) you want to make those lows as short as possible,” Schwarber said, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. “You want to stop it as soon as possible and get right back on track.
“Teams go through it. We’re going through it. You find your way out on the other side, and you can be better for it. That’s it at the end of the day. That’s how it goes.”
Schwarber is just 2-for-18 — albeit with 10 walks — in six games vs. the Nationals this season. He scored three times following three walks on May 19, helping the Phillies prevail 11-5, their fifth win in six outings against Washington this year.
Trea Turner hopes to return to the Philadelphia lineup after being unceremoniously benched in the series finale against the Marlins. Turner is batting just .168 with 20 strikeouts since the All-Star break.
“It’s more time in the cage to hone his swing, get him off his feet and just let him breathe for a minute,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said.
The Phillies will turn to right-hander Zack Wheeler (11-5, 2.78 ERA) on Thursday.
Wheeler rebounded from a dismal performance against the New York Yankees on July 29 by recording a pair of dominant outings.
He gave up just two hits and struck out nine over eight scoreless innings in a 6-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 4. He then allowed two runs in six frames of a no-decision in his team’s 3-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.
Wheeler, 34, is 13-15 with a 4.59 ERA in 33 career starts against Washington. He picked up a 4-2 win over the Nationals on May 17 after allowing two runs on three hits in 7 1/3 innings.
Alex Call had two doubles and an RBI in the Nationals’ 4-1 setback to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. He is 23-for-54 (.426) with 11 RBIs in 15 games since being promoted from Triple-A Rochester on July 28.
The loss was Washington’s 10th in its past 16 games.
“Like I’ve said before: It’s a work in progress. But we’re starting to see progress,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “We really are. Young guys are starting to get it. We’re starting to play a little bit better. I love the way we’re coming out and competing every day. We’re playing hard for 27 outs. We’re getting closer.”
Washington will hand the ball to rookie left-hander Mitchell Parker (6-6, 3.83 ERA) on Thursday.
Parker received a no-decision in his latest outing, permitting two runs, both unearned, in 6 1/3 innings in his team’s 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday.
Parker, 24, has yet to face the Phillies in his young career.
–Field Level Media