Phillies get contributions up-and-down lineup in blowout win over Yankees

NEW YORK – The Phillies offense is getting hot. 

Kyle Schwarber, who recorded career hit No. 1,000 on a two-run home run in the fifth inning of Friday’s 12-5 win over the New Yankees, is the main attraction. His two home runs on Friday brings his total on the year to 36. He is on pace to finish with 57, one shy of Ryan Howard’s Phillies franchise record for home runs in a single season. 

But take it as a positive sign that the contributions are coming up-and-down the order.  

For a second straight game, J.T. Realmuto came up big with a late-inning home run. His solo shot off Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning on Wednesday, his first home run in 42 games, tied it at 8-8. His three-run bomb against Luke Weaver in the seventh gave his team a 6-3 lead. 

“Mechanically, I’ve been in a better spot recently,” Realmuto said. “Starting to feel good. My timing felt better, seeing the ball better. I feel like it’s heading in the right direction. 

Realmuto has been one of the better hitters in baseball since the start of July, batting .381 with a .952 OPS. 

The Phillies’ offensive outburst late in the game is a good sign for a lineup that has struggled to provide consistent power. Of the 12 runs scored by the Phillies, 10 came in the seventh inning or later. 

Trea Turner is finally getting out of his first extended slump of the season. He went 4-for-5 with an RBI triple, and has eight hits in his last three games. Bryson Stott, who doubled in the ninth, has three extra-base hits in his last two games. 

The team’s four-run ninth-inning rally curiously began with the Yankees intentionally walking Max Kepler with Scott Effross falling behind him 3-0. The next batter Edmundo Sosa drove another run in on an RBI single. Kepler and Sosa later came in to score on Stott’s double. Turner tripled on a fly ball that center fielder Trent Grisham could not catch up to. 

Coming out of the break, the Phillies have scored four or more runs in five of seven games. They have scored 20 over the last two against the Red Sox and Yankees. 

“I feel like if we can make it even harder on them, keep that constant pressure,” Schwarber said. “Don’t get me wrong, this is the game of baseball. There are going to be days where you go out there and you’re gonna have 10 hard hits and they’re all outs. That’s just the way it is. If you’re able to keep building off of that, positive things will keep happening.” 

The Phillies (59-44) will look to win their first road series since June with a win on Saturday afternoon. Left-hander Ranger Suárez will take the mound against right-hander Marcus Stroman.