Kyle Schwarber’s struggles continue as Phillies fall to Red Sox

Final Score: Red Sox 5, Phillies 3

Even Bryce Harper’s return wasn’t enough to halt a losing streak for the Philadelphia Phillies, as a poor evening from Kyle Schwarber contributed to the club’s fifth consecutive loss, this time at the hands of the red-hot Boston Red Sox.

Red Sox right fielder Raimel Tapia led the game off by hitting a pitch from Zack Wheeler to left-center field, where Schwarber called off Dalton Guthrie. Schwarber, however, wasn’t able to make the catch, allowing Tapia to reach second on an error.

Following a delay as medical officials attended to a fan who fell into the Red Sox bullpen, Rafael Devers plated Tapia with a two-out single into right field, giving Boston a 1-0 lead.

Justin Turner and Kiké Hernández — reunited in Boston after spending years together with the Los Angeles Dodgers — each drove in runs off of Wheeler in the top of the third inning, extending Boston’s lead to 3-0.

However, the Phillies got to Chris Sale in the bottom of the fourth inning, beginning with an infield single off the bat of Harper. Nick Castellanos then drove Harper in from first with an RBI double. J.T. Realmuto followed with a triple into right field, scoring Castellanos. And before the inning was over, Alec Bohm singled into right field, bringing home the tying run in the form of Realmuto.

But Sale would settle back in, and was rewarded with RBIs from both Triston Casas and Enmanuel Valdez in the sixth inning, allowing Boston to regain the lead:

Keep 'em coming. pic.twitter.com/yvKRTiRxa6

— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 6, 2023

Unlike Sale, Schwarber wasn’t able to recover during a difficult showing. In addition to his defensive miscue, Schwarber went 0-for-5 at the plate, with three strikeouts. The third of those strikeouts came against Kenley Jansen in the bottom of the ninth, with runners on first and second base and only one out. While never one to hit for a high batting average, the reigning NL home run champion is now hitting just .183.

With the loss, the Phillies now fall to 15-18. Meanwhile, the Red Sox — winners of seven in a row — are 20-14.

The Phillies and Red Sox will continue their weekend set Saturday evening, with two struggling pitchers — Bailey Falter and Corey Kluber — set to square off.

Shibe Vintage Sports Notes

• Zack Wheeler pitched 5 1/3 innings in the series opener, allowing seven hits and five runs, four of which were earned. On the season, his ERA now sits at 4.26.
• Chris Sale entered the evening with a 6.75 ERA, but outside of one bad inning Friday, he looked much more like the pitcher who made seven All-Star Game appearances earlier in his career. Over six innings, Sale allowed seven hits and three runs, while striking out 10.
• With his fourth-inning double, Nick Castellanos tied Bryan Reynolds for the NL lead with 13 doubles. Matt Chapman of the Toronto Blue Jays leads all of baseball with 16.
• Kenley Jansen now has 398 career saves, one more than Craig Kimbrel.
• 43,322 was the attendance Friday night at Citizens Bank Park, a sellout.

Ticket IQ Next Game

• Saturday, May 6 vs. Red Sox at Citizens Bank Park
• 7:15 p.m. ET
• TV: FOX
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
• Spanish Radio: WTTM 1680

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