Kyle Schwarber joins 30 home run club with bomb vs. Padres
Kyle Schwarber has tried to become a complete hitter this season. The Philadelphia Phillies DH is having a standout year at the plate in 2025, earning his third-career All-Star nod. But while he's raised his batting average, he hasn't lost his power stroke.
Schwarber homered again on Friday, belting his 30th bomb of the year in a losing effort against the San Diego Padres.
Facing San Diego starter Ryan Bergert in the third inning, down 3-1 with no one on and two out, Schwarber demolished a 94 mph four-seamer, launching the pitch 425 feet to right center. The solo blast made it a 3-2 game but the Phillies would not score again, losing 4-2 to San Diego.
Kyle Schwarber's power surge doesn't lift Phillies
Despite the team's struggles, Schwarber has been on an absolute tear of late. He now has a home run in three straight games with six RBI in that span. However, the Phillies have lost two of the three contests.
Schwarber has five home runs, 12 RBI and a 1.128 OPS over his last nine games. The 11th-year veteran is on pace to surpass his career-high home run total, set in 2022 when he led the National League with 46 homers.
And Schwarber is producing this power while becoming a more complete hitter. He's now slashing .254/.385/.560 with 69 RBI, 66 runs scored, a 156 OPS+ and 3.0 bWAR in 93 games for the Phillies.
It's the seventh time the 32-year-old slugger has reached the 30-homer mark in a season and the fourth straight year he's hit at least 30 bombs. And, Schwarber reached a major career milestone in 2025, joining the 300 home run club in May. He's now up to 314 and counting.
While Schwarber is thriving at the plate, the Phillies are struggling. The team has lost three of its last four since Zack Wheeler's near perfect game against the Cincinnati Reds last Sunday.
Wheeler's dominant performance set the Phillies up with a 1.5 game lead over the New York Mets in the NL East. But the team squandered an opportunity to take control of the division.
After the Phillies' latest loss they're 54-40 on the season with a half game lead over the Mets in the NL East. Philadelphia will look to get back on track when Wheeler takes the mound on Saturday. The veteran ace will face off against Padres starter Yu Darvish.
Related: Why Phillies' Ranger Suárez declined All-Star game invitation
Related: Phillies' perfect Emmanuel Clase trade proposal to Guardians
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