MLB

Mets-killer Kyle Schwarber may miss entire weekend series

By
Social Links for David Scott
Published Aug. 12, 2022
Updated Aug. 12, 2022, 3:53 p.m. ET

This weekend could be the biggest series of the year for the Phillies, though they are already stumbling into their matchup against the Mets.

As the Phillies saw their seven-game win streak snapped in a 3-0 loss to the Marlins on Thursday, they also had to watch Kyle Schwarber exit the game with an injury in the fifth inning. The slugger’s ailment has been labeled a mild calf strain.

While Schwarber is only day-to-day and not on the injured list, he said that it’s unlikely he’ll play in Friday’s series opener — and isn’t sure about the rest of the series either.

Losing Schwarber would be a massive blow for the red-hot Phillies. He has played in 109 of their 111 games and leads the National League with 34 home runs. This stings even more for a squad that is already missing last year’s MVP Bryce Harper.

“I always pride myself on trying to be out there every single day,” Schwarber said. “For something like this to just come up out of nowhere really and act up, it’s definitely frustrating.”

Kyle Schwarber hits an RBI single against the Marlins.
Kyle Schwarber hits an RBI single against the Marlins. USA TODAY Sports

The timing is horrendous for the Phillies as they get set to face off against Max Scherzer on Friday and Jacob deGrom on Saturday, a duo with a combined five Cy Young awards. Sunday doesn’t bring any relief either, as they have to go against Chris Bassitt, who boasts a 2.01 ERA in his last six starts.

“It’s always good to play good teams,” interim manager Rob Thomson said. “And we’re playing really well right now in all phases of the game. So it should be a good series. I’m looking forward to it.”

Despite the loss on Thursday, the Phillies are still 12-2 over their last 14 games and are 41-20 since June 1. That is good for third-best in the majors and beats out the Mets fourth-best 39-22 record over that span. Along with their red-hot streak, the Phillies have pulled within 3.5 games of Atlanta for second place in the National League East.

Kyle Schwarber celebrates after hitting a solo home run.
Kyle Schwarber celebrates after hitting a solo home run. Getty Images

“We’ve been playing great baseball for the last how many months?” Schwarber asked. “Just because one guy’s down doesn’t mean [anything]. We’ve shown that, where everyone steps up. It’s going to be the same kind of thing here.”

While Schwarber has faith in his squad, it’s hard to look past the ridiculous numbers the Phillies will be missing out on without him in the lineup. In 42 career games against the Mets he is slashing .297/.391/.662 with 16 home runs, 32 RBIs, and a 1.053 OPS. With those numbers, statistically you could’ve predicted at least one home run from Schwarber over the weekend.

The Phillies will undeniably be missing a major piece in a prove-it series with the Mets this weekend, but Schwarber is confident his team will step up to the challenge. They’ve done it without Bryce Harper, so perhaps they can now do it without him.

“Even though I won’t be able to play [Friday],” Schwarber said, “I’m sure someone’s going to step up.”