Kyle Schwarber is on an absolute tear, and he's making Phillies history while doing it. The slugger crushed his major league-leading 17th home run on Tuesday night, tying a franchise record by going deep for the fifth straight game. His solo shot in the first inning proved to be the difference as the Philadelphia Phillies edged the Boston Red Sox 2-1 at Fenway Park.
The win was extra special for manager Don Mattingly, who picked up his 900th career managerial victory. Mattingly, who took over as skipper on April 28 after the Phillies parted ways with Ron Thomson, has sparked a turnaround in Philadelphia. The team has now won three straight and six of their last eight, improving to 11-3 under his leadership. After a rocky start to the season, the Phillies (20-22) are finally finding their groove.
On the mound, Zach Wheeler delivered a vintage performance. The veteran right-hander allowed just one run on six hits over 7 1/3 innings, striking out four to improve to 2-0. His steady work kept the Red Sox offense in check, giving Philadelphia just enough breathing room. Closer Jhoan Duran made things interesting in the ninth, surrendering a hit and a walk, but he battled back to notch his sixth save of the season.
Schwarber's historic power surge began in the first inning when he jumped on a 92 mph fastball from Red Sox opener Jovani Morán. The ball traveled 386 feet, just clearing the right-field wall and landing in the Boston bullpen. That blast tied him with Phillies legends like Mike Schmidt, Chase Utley, and Dick Allen, among others, for the longest home run streak in franchise history. With six homers in his last five games, Schwarber is showing why he's one of the most feared power hitters in the game.
Boston nearly answered in the seventh inning. With Mickey Gasper on first and one out, Wilyer Abreu launched a high fly ball to right field that looked destined for the seats. But it fell about six feet short, and Adolis García made the catch at the warning track. Ceddanne Rafaela followed with an RBI single to cut the lead to 2-1, but that was all the Red Sox could muster.
The matchup carried extra drama beyond the box score. It was the first meeting between these two teams since Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski fired Thomson last month. Dombrowski then tried to hire former Red Sox manager Alex Cora, but Cora turned down the job to spend the summer with his family. That led to Mattingly's promotion from bench coach, a move that seems to be paying off for Philadelphia.
Mattingly now joins an elite group of active managers with 900 wins, including Terry Francona, Dave Roberts, and Craig Counsell. For a team that's been searching for consistency, having a veteran leader like Mattingly at the helm—and a red-hot slugger like Schwarber in the lineup—could be the formula for a long summer ahead.
The Phillies will look to keep the momentum going Wednesday when rookie right-hander Andrew Painter (1-4, 6.89 ERA) takes the mound against the Red Sox.