The other night in Los Angeles, during the Dodgers-Phillies game, there was a mild but palpable earthquake. People felt it, and because there's so many on the west coast it wasn't a tremendous deal. But after that earthquake, Kyle Schwarber hit four home runs against the Dodgers in two days. Leading me to believe that the tectonic plates shifted in a way that activated Kyle Schwarber's power bat.
The whole thing is that Schwarber usually hits the bulk of his home runs in June. It happened in 2021, 2022 and 2023. In his entire career, Schwarber has 61 home runs in the month of June. Because of an injury, and a lot of other factors, Schwarber was only able to hit 6 during June 2024. While he's actually been having a very nice season, and is hitting more accurately than he has previously for the Phils, it does not look like he's going to chase 50 for the third season in a row. 40 homers is still very much in the cards, but I don't think he's gonna lead the NL this year.
But...in 7 August games, Schwarber has 5 home runs. So we may be getting that June energy now rather than missing it entirely.
Folks, I mean this from the bottom of my heart, Kyle Schwarber has done practically everything I wanted him to do when the Phillies signed him. He became a postseason hero, in a way that many Philly legends could only wish to live up to. He became a beloved fan favorite. He's hit 120 home runs as a member of the Phils, which means he's 2 homers away from eclipsing his six year Cubs total. And I own a pin of his likeness, his HR King one from last year. When you make a signing like this, you see a version of events that appeals to your broadest fantasies, knowing that there's a possibility it could go awry. And Schwarber has delivered. I knew he'd hit a ton of homers here, and he certainly has. There's one more year on his contract, and I'm pretty sure he'll make that one fun as well.
The Phillies, after being cold for a while, seem to have gotten their bearings back. It helps that they still match up well against the Dodgers, taking another 2 from them in addition to the 3 they took at home. Last night's game was insanely promising, because you could see the whole team show up for a win for the first time in a while. Kolby Allard actually looked sharp on the mound, which I worried would not happen [though the Phils limiting his roster time is...puzzling]. Tyler Phillips is also very much still a positive factor in this team's success, and rebounded strongly against LA. And Nola, Wheeler and Sanchez are still awesome as ever. Also, in only 5 appearances, Carlos Estevez has justified my desire for Dombrowski to trade for him, as he's been phenomenal both in save situations and middle relief.
In a city where their hopes died last year [twice!], Phoenix, AZ, the Phillies are finally showing signs of life, and signs that they're still one of the teams to beat in 2024. May it persist.
Coming Tomorrow- He made the starting rotation for Cleveland a year or so ago, and was essentially booed off the stage. So believe me when I say that him resurfacing in a relief role was the last thing I expected. How silly of me.
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