Kyle Schwarber's 30TH HOME RUN of the Year Propels Series Win vs Mets

Kyle Schwarber belted his 30th home run of the season to help guide the Philadelphia Phillies to a series win vs the rival New York Mets, and Derek Hill robbed Juan Soto in potentially the Catch of the Year! #RingTheBell #PhiladelphiaPhillies #MLBonX

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:30

Well, folks, if I told you two months ago that the Philadelphia Phillies would be sitting three games back in the NL East, you probably would have told me that I'm crazy. And you know what? There is not a person, if they're being honest with themselves, that would have thought the Phillies that could have legitimately foreseen the Phillies come back. You know, you may have hoped, but you didn't, I believe, anyone foresee that they could come back to have an opportunity to where, hey, the Braves have a bad week here, and you are in the driver's seat in the National League East. I think that's a pretty good way to welcome you into this episode of the 610 Podcast. I'm your host, Jay Hollagen. The Phillies take two of three from their rivals, the New York Mets. We'll talk about that situation in a moment. Talk about some other miscellaneous stuff as well throughout the episode. But this kind of season has unfolded in quite an interesting way, very interesting way. In that for the second year in a row, and I I mean second or third year in a row, really, because I think, you know, in the 202 season, you were getting tremendous starting pitching. And even better starting pitching because it wasn't just two dominant guys, and then, you know, maybe a third, and then, you know, two no offense to Aaron Oll and Andrew Painter, but kind of scrubs that you put out there. Guaranteed losses half the time. Now, this year has been two dominant starting pitchers that have told the story in Zach Wheeler and Christopher Sanchez, and then you're really banking on Jesus Lazardo to go out there and give you a good start. And then Aaronola, we can get into him in a moment, and as well uh Alan Ron Hell, whom has has done a fine job. Andola in his last couple starts has done okay. But the way the offense has hit, I mean, still the Phillies, you know, Brandon Marsh is hitting over 250. As is now Bryce Harper, after the big week he had. Schwerber, after today's game, in which we'll obviously talk about 30 home runs, you know, halfway through the year, but he is hitting 256. So there's, you know, you got three guys there, which is better than where they were before. But still, you'd like to see, you know, maybe a Bryson Stott get above two fifty, if possible. Hope to God, Trey Turner, um, Alec Bohm, see him continue to creep up. But the overall theme here is, and you look at the bullpen too, which was all in full display throughout the entire weekend. The Phillies are just have been able to skate by, and by skating by, they're ten games over 500. I mean, in terms of just they've shown stints where the starting pitching's dominant. Oh, the offense can get going. The bullpen is able to get six outs, or in some cases, three outs with Duran, because your starting pitcher goes seven, eight innings. Now, the fact of the matter is, this series against the New York Mets, you kind of saw a little bit of everything on display. The starting pitching was fantastic. Game one, Zach Wheeler was dialed in. Seven innings, allowing just one run. Bryce Harper gets it started with a with an RBI knock. And then Trey Turner comes through late with an RBI single. But, as was the story of the evening. Derek Hill robs Juan Soto after Carson Benge leads off the game for the Mets with a single. Derek Hall goes out and has one of the most unbelievable catches you will ever see. I mean, Juan Soto thinks he's got it. Marsh probably well, Marsh probably didn't as he's running over to Derek Hill, but Wheeler certainly thinks he's got all of it. Wheeler's looking into left field like you gotta be kidding me. And Derek Hall jumps up with the glove over the wall and brings it back, and then Zach Wheeler, the next thing you see of him, he's got a big smile on his face. When's when when do you ever see Zach Wheeler smile? The the dugouts going nuts, the Mets fans are upset. I it was an unbelievable play by Derek Hill, and after the game, that sentiment was uh shared by Trey Turner, and here was Derek Hill himself as well.

SPEAKER_04 5:36

I might have been the best play I've ever seen, and I don't think slow motion does it justice because he was on a dead sprint and ended up so perfectly. And I mean, any second earlier, second later, I don't think he gets it. So I I think that might be the catch of the year, and I think uh it's one of the best plays I've ever seen.

SPEAKER_05 5:52

It changed the game, it really did change the game 100%. I got much on that one. I just kind of blacked out on it, just kind of pure instinct and whatnot, but uh I knew I had a chance because the wind was kind of knocking things down a little bit today, like it kind of did with Bailey's wall, and I think it was like the seventh inning or something like that. But had a chance, and March was giving me some good comms on the uh on the side of me, letting me know where the wall was and everything like that. So I got to my captain. He's the best hype man ever. Yeah, he's he's great. I love having him out there with me. Uh we've play together in uh fall league and everything like that, so we're super comfortable with each other, and I just love his energy out there, so it's it's awesome now.

SPEAKER_00 6:27

Well, I suppose in my monologue, you know, about what the Phillies have been doing tremendously well, but not all at one time. You can I guess throw defense in there now because of that Derek Hill tremendous play. And the Phillies defense has been overall pretty solid, I feel like, but uh things could still be better. We we saw that on display as well this weekend. Now, the Phillies get the two-to-one win over the Mets. Johan Duran goes out there, uh, you know, in a situation where I think anytime you see Juan Soto, Bo Bouchette come into the plate, Francisco Lindor, who was just activated, you go, that's gonna be tough. But he gets through it. He gets through it, he gives up two out single to Lindor on a ball that was originally ruled foul, which I don't know what the first base ump was seeing. However, the Phillies prevail. They get through it after the uh called strikeout on Jared Young, who I mean, hey, you might as well try it. Try challenging it right on the line. Called strike, Phillies win. They are now a season best, ten games above 500 and 46 and 36. Uh we're gonna circle back to this game in a moment, but let's get to Saturday's game, which saw Tim Mesa go out there and be the opener yet again for the Phillies. And I thought he did a fine job. I mean, you know, you're only out there for four hitters, but you're facing, you know, they can be table setters for the Mets. You know, obviously you're not making that full start, but you know, after giving up a leadoff single to Carson Bench, he gets Soto and Bachette to line out and Lindor to ground out. Then in the bottom of the second, after getting Jared Young out on a strike on a strikeout, they go to Alan Ron Hell. And Ron Hell gets some run support in the home uh in the uh top of the third for the Phillies. Bryce Harper's 19th home of the year. It's 2-0, and Ron Hell's, dare I say, kind of cruising. A little bit. He comes in the second with one out. Gets through that, no problem. Bottom of the third, two out walk to Soto. Gets Bachet striking out, one, two, three, fourth. Here we go, one, two, three, fifth, strikeout ewing, ground out Beatty, strikeout Francisco Alvarez. Like, hey, this Alan Ron Hell guy. What's going on here? Then the top of the sixth happens. Bryce Harper, who ducks one in the left field, 74.7 off the bat. A ball that landed between A.J. Ewing coming in and Francisco Lindor going out. And Harper, who listen, wasn't busting it out of the box, rounds first and realizes, oh shoot. Well, I'll let him explain it to you now, but, or in a second, what he was thinking. But he rounds first and decides, hey, I'm going to try for second here. And then a good throw by Lindor to Beatty nabs Harper at second, trying to get a double. Now, after the game, here was Don Mattingley on the base running blunder by Harper, and as well Bryce Harper himself.

SPEAKER_06 10:16

I mean, we just want to stay aggressive uh all the time. And again, it's not it's one of those I'm kind of watching the play out evaluate when I got out of the box or anything like that. But again, when you have the hammer for me, you want to be aggressive when you got chances.

SPEAKER_03 10:33

In general, I want it to be aggressive. Yeah, I think Lindor was gonna go get it, and he did. Um not one that I'm trying to go to second on uh aggressively, just um yeah, some fall down and thought he was gonna go get it. If he went and got it, I think I'm safe and just didn't happen.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

Listen, I don't care. There should have been no reason to try and stretch that into a double. I sort of can understand what he's saying. But at the same time, I mean, if you're if you're already not busting it out of the box, just hang out, camp out at first, man. I mean, there's no point to almost run into an out. And I know about his aggressive base running, uh, I know that irritated many people last week in an eight-run game that he, God forbid, tried to get a cycle. I mean, come on. That happens maybe once in a career. Now, not maybe, that happens once in a career. Like, in terms of the entirety of you playing baseball, to have have it happen at the major league level, I mean, come on. It's an eight-run game. Get over yourself. Now, Harper, as he's trying to stretch this into the double, as as you can, you know, hear him say, he didn't realize Lindor got to the ball. He thought it got past Ewing. Man, if you're unsure or you're even, you know, a little bit unsure, just stay at first. Because let me tell you what, the Mets fed off that. 2-0 game turned quickly, sourly, into the Mets tying it at 2 off the two-run triple by Lindur. They bring Bolin in to take out Ron Hill with now runners at the corners, walks Mark Vientos, AJ Ewing, RBI single, it's 4-2. Mets finish their scoring there, and then the Phillies do nothing, and they're top of the seventh. Juan Soto, RBI triple, 5-2. Beshetch gets him in with the sackfly 6-2, and that was the ballgame. I mean, honestly, the offense didn't give you much to be desired for, and you know the Mets probably weren't going to go silent throughout the game. But let's just play pretend here. Parper's at first, that at bat for Marsh could have been drastically different. I mean, we don't know. You know, that could have ended up in a pot. Now he could have grounded out into a double play, but I'll say this. And especially because they they chased Christian Scott from that game. They were into their bullpen. And the Mets do have a good bullpen, which we can get to about today's game. You're still having to have them pitch in some pretty pressure-packed situations. And in that sixth inning, you know, if he grounds out into a double play, that there's nothing like getting a guy out who's trying to steal take an extra base on you. I'm sure for the Phillies defense, they can tell you if there's a pass ball that someone tries nabbing second on and JT throws him out at second, I'm sure same thing. Or someone's trying to stretch a single into a double. I mean, how many times have we seen Garcia make a big out in right field? I mean, like, that is a momentum shifter for a team, and that's exactly what happened in Saturday's loss, and that took us right up to today. Where the Phillies would send Jesus Lazardo out to the mound, and Lozardo did a very solid job. Um, probably not the best we've seen out of him, but I I would probably argue, you know, I again against a this is a capable lineup with the Mets. We can go over the Mets problems until the Cows come home. I mean, truly, because there are a lot of them. Um in the beginning of the year, looked like it was going to be a pretty dynamic lineup, hasn't turned out to be the case. But Lazardo goes five innings, allows a run on four hits, six strikeouts, and three walks. And the Phillies offense in the meantime gave him a 3-0 lead off the sack fly by Harper to score Trey Turner, the RBI double by Alec Bohm to plate Schwerber. This all, of course, coming in the same inning in the top of the third, and then Brandon Marsh's RBI single to get Bohm home. Now, the Mets get one back in the bottom of the fifth. There was some traffic on for Jesus Sozardo. That's kind of why I said, yeah, solid start. A lot of traffic, as you heard, a lot of free passes and whatnot, but he limited the damage, which is a good job. Now, again, the sixth. And today was a little bit different. You got Kodai Senga in the game. The guy's ERA is ridiculous. He's 0-6 heading into this game. Alec Bohm, lead-off walk. Brandon Marsh sends one past the diving Wagman who couldn't come up with a ball. Much like the night before, where Harper couldn't come up to that ball that went to the corner. Uh, forgot to mention that. I mean, you know, I a lot of people were killing him. That was scorched off the bat. You know, I think Marsh's was, yeah, it was actually because that was 103 to Harper. This was 87. Um, but Bohm unfortunately couldn't unhook the trailer enough to get around third to come home on that play, but it's second and third, nobody out. And you're saying to yourself, alright, you know, hey, let's just at least you know, hey, we get one here. All we need is a sack fly, JT's up. You know, all you need to do, dude, is just get it out there. This is whether there's ever a time for one to die at the track and it to still be productive, have at it. Fouls off the first pitch, takes one of Sangha's fork balls, then swings through the next two. Now, he took the fork ball for a ball, so he sees it. He saw the one pitch. The next two were a bit better. Sangha definitely bared down. But to be honest, all he had to do is stand there. And you know he wasn't throwing that pitch for a strike. So honestly, just if JT stands there, it's a 3-1 count. You have to make him pitch to you. He has to throw a strike. I mean, I guess he could, you know, walk him, and then you potentially could set up that double play still in order. But JT swings through it, through two pitches, and strikes out. Then Bryson Stock rounds out with the infield in, and then Derek Hill strikes out to end the inning. Again, the momentum sw s uh switch that when they go to Chase Shugert out of the bullpen, Francisco Alvarez lead-off double, uh, then the AJ Ewing game tying home run to make it a 3-3. Well, it's a ball game all over again. We start over and with the walk to Beatty, then Luis Torrens single, they bring in Kyle Bacchus, and Kyle Bacchus um has one come back to him and then you know, or Benge grounds into a force out to Bacchus, uh to Bohm to Stot, and then Torrance is out at second, but uh able to score because it deflected off of uh off of uh Bacchus, so that allowed um that obviously allowed Brett Beatty to score, and then it's a four-three game. Now the Phillies respond with a leadoff single by Justin Crawford. Now this is the top of the seventh. Mets have the lead. They can go to their bullpen. They could bring in Weaver, they could bring in Minter, you know, with two lefties and a righty. They don't do that. I mean, it was kind of bizarre. Koday Senga goes five innings. I don't know what in the world they were thinking. Their bullpen the day before went out there and just dominated the Phillies. And they don't go to it. And with one out in the top of the seventh, Kyle Schwerberg comes to the plate and hits his 30th home run of the season. 5'4 Phillies lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Alvarado comes in, two strikeouts for him quick, then he hits Jared Young, a single to A.J. Ewing that went back to Alvarado, who then went to throw to Harper, and it ends up in right field, allowing both runners to get in a scoring position. Now, if you go back and watch the video when Caleb Cotham comes out to talk to Alvarado, if you notice it looked like Alvarado, when it was his turn to talk out there, it seemed like he was he seemed very, very peeved at what had just happened, and I'd like to know if uh he was making some promises he was going to get Beatty to ground out, which exactly what happened. He grounds out back to Alvarado, and Alvi's able to run it over to Harper. Now, the Phillies bullpen in this game. Uh if you were a you know, heartpatient, I would have stayed away. Because then Orion Kirking comes into the bottom of the eighth in a one-run game. He walks the leadoff hitter in Luis Torrens, uh, Torrens, Bench flies out, walks Soto, didn't even look like he wanted to pitch to Soto, walked Bachet. Now here was the interesting part in the game. Ronnie Mauricio is the hitter, and they don't go to Lindor. And the cameras caught Lindor, looked like he was talking to one of the one of his coaches, I don't know exactly who it was, if it was uh player on the bench as well. But Lindor, who's activated, came through the day prior for the Mets, had a couple hits in this series, never comes into the game. And what does Mauricio do? He pops out to Bryson Sty. And then we get to Francisco Alvarez, and he practically helps out Orion Kerkering. Kerkering, who just pitched him up and in, and he swung through a sinker at the top of the zone, and then a fastball up and in basically at his head. What are we doing here? And the Phillies get through. And then they bring in Johan Duran, who, you know, why not gave up uh base runner, but the Phillies prevail. Now let's hear from uh Don Mattingley as he talks about Kyle Schwerberg's 30th home run of the season at the halfway point.

SPEAKER_06 22:48

Yeah, it's been it's been fun to be on this side of it uh to see this, and you know, he's amazing in the way he does and how he does it. So uh yeah, it's good he's on our side. You see it in different times with guys that just their approach gets better, they know who they are, they know what they want to do. I think you see guys get better late more now than in the past.

SPEAKER_00 23:10

So just a little over the halfway point in the season, Schwarber at 30 home runs. I mean, just unbelievable stuff out of him. I mean, where would we be without Kyle Schwarber? I mean, honestly, you know, I know this comparison, a lot of people are probably gonna roll their eyes at it, but oh well, I I think for this Phillies team, he is like the Jason Kelsey. You know, kind of uh underdogish stature. I mean, even though he was drafted a lot higher in MLB standards, of course, than where Kelsey was taken, but I just think that, you know, the story of being DFA'd by the Cubs, going to the Nationals on a bet, even the first contract he signed with the Phillies was very underrated, uh very cheap deal that they got him on. And look at what he's done for the team. Look at what the leadership from Kyle Schwerber has brought to this Phillies team. And obviously it hasn't ended in the ultimate goal, which we all would love it to be, but I mean you cannot deny just what he means to this team and to his teammates. Alright, what's up coming next for the Phillies? A four-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Let's get your starting pitching preview. It'll be Aaronola tomorrow night, who's three and four with a five-five eight ERA, gave up six runs on six hits and three and two thirds in a game versus the Pirates earlier in the year. And yes, that was the game the Phillies came back and won 11-9 in extras. Oh, win one with a five-eight two ERA at home in seven starts is Aaron Ola. Not good. Not good. But again, he only gives up three runs through five. I wouldn't I I'll be more mad at the offense. Uh Braxton Ashcraft's on the mound for Pittsburgh. Now he's had a solid year. 7-3 with a 3-0 seven ERA. Went 6-2 thirds innings, gave up four runs on seven hits, and the Phil's comeback win uh that night. Uh 3-2 with the 2-9-3 ERA and seven starts on the road. Christopher Sanchez will take the mound for the Phillies. He's 9-3 with a 2-1-3 ERA, went nine innings, gave up no runs on six hits with 13 strikeouts, 6-1 with a 0-9-5 ERA at home in 10 starts. Bubba Chandler will be on the mound for Pittsburgh. He's 3-7 with a 4-4-2 ERA this year, gave up four runs on three hits in three innings against the Phillies. 1-4 with a 4-2-0 ERA in eight starts and one appearance out of the bullpen on the road for the Pirates. Now, Christopher Sanchez, who in two out of his last three starts, hasn't been up to his standards. Um let's, I mean, you know, with that being said, he gave up runs. Um so hopefully that's something that uh we don't see as much uh on Tuesday, obviously. Game three, Zach Wheeler will take the mound. He's eight and one with a two-oh three ERA on the year. Went seven innings, out dueled Paul Skeens, pitching a shutout on four hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. He's four and oh with a two-oh three ERA and five starts at home. It will be Paul Skins on the opposite end. 6-7 with a 3-1-0 ERA for Skins this year. A lot higher of an ERA than, of course, we are expected or accustomed to. Gave up five runs on six hits in five innings with a walk and seven strikeouts against the Phillies last time he faced him. Harper took him deep. He's three and three with a three-three-two ERA and seven starts this year on the road. And then game four is Alan Ron Hell, who's 0-1 with a 4-5-0 ERA this season, and has yet to pitch at home this year. And Jarrett Jones will be opposite him, one-one with a five-seven six ERA. Last year he did go six and a third, or I'm sorry, in 2024, rather, he did go six and a third, gave up three runs on six hits against the Phillies. He is one-and-one with a four-five-o ERA and three starts on the road this year. Now he started the year off on the 60-day IL due to an ulnar collateral ligament. So uh he that happened last season, the injury. He was shelved for 10 to 12 months and now has made his return. So, I mean, it's a four-game set. Pirates who are really having a solid season. I'm sure, you know, heading into the series, they probably remember what happened about a little over a month ago. So for the Phillies, gotta keep the train rolling. Um, gotta at least, you know, splits fine. Winning the series is obviously great. Getting a sweep would be even better. Uh, but hopefully we're gonna be able to see uh a lot of uh a lot of the offense that we've seen at home throughout the last couple homestands where they've really been uh looking hot. So hopefully that continues. Thanks everyone for tuning into this episode, and we'll talk to you next time.

SPEAKER_02 28:11

Anyone know Robert Green Black?