Kyle Schwarber defied the numbers.
Facing Atlanta ace Chris Sale, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner who held left-handed batters to a .544 OPS last season, Schwarber teed off on Tuesday night.
The Phillies slugger singled in the top of the first inning off Sale, ripped a triple to center field in the third and launched a 462-foot home run in the fifth. Schwarber finished 3-for-3 with a walk and was a double shy of the cycle, while Nick Castellanos was 3-for-4 with two doubles.
Behind an outfield mishap, an off night from starter Zack Wheeler and some more bullpen struggles, Philadelphia squandered those offensive performances, falling to the Braves, 7-5, in the opener of a three-games series at Truist Park.
Working with an early lead after a Castellanos RBI single, the outfield reached the highest of highs and lowest of lows in the first two innings. The Phillies (7-3) put the red-hot Edmundo Sosa in left field for his first start at the position, and he robbed Marcell Ozuna of a homer to end the first inning. The play was unbelievable, a continuation of Sosa’s ridiculous start to this season.
But the inexperience became apparent in the second as Sosa and center fielder Johan Rojas miscommunicated on a pop fly that landed at the shoe tops of Rojas. It was the center fielder’s ball, and Rojas is an elite defender. The blunder later led to a three-run homer by Braves catcher Sean Murphy.
The Phillies rallied in the third with a big inning off Sale. Schwarber tripled home two runs, then Castellanos knocked in Schwarber with a double. Schwarber added an insurance run two innings later with his majestic shot to right-center field.
The 5-3 lead wasn’t enough. Wheeler was tagged with two more runs, and Orion Kerkering, who gave up the go-ahead double to Austin Riley in the seventh, and Tanner Banks each surrendered another in the late innings. The Phillies missed an opportunity.
Sale hasn’t been in his best form to begin the year as the Braves (2-8) have stumbled. Still, putting five earned runs on a pitcher of his caliber is impressive work by the Phillies offense. It should have been enough to win the game.
Of course, Atlanta matched that against another frontline starter in Wheeler — and would’ve had another if not for Sosa’s heroics. But Murphy’s homer could have been avoided.
It was a bad loss for Philadelphia, but the lineup was still encouraging. Schwarber and Castellanos came through with clutch hits and both appear to be locked in at the plate. The Phillies will need to turn games with that kind of output into wins.
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