Schwarber Crushes Two, Phillies Dismantle Minnesota 7-1

Kyle Schwarber hit two home runs and drove in three, and Philadelphia's offense was relentless from the first pitch. The Phillies handed Minnesota a 7-1 loss on August 13, with five different players contributing to the scoring.

Philadelphia wasted no time. Schwarber opened the scoring in the first with a 369-foot shot to right, and the Phillies weren't done that inning — Bryson Stott singled to center to score Bryce Harper and push the lead to 2-0. Minnesota answered in the second when Luke Keaschall went the other way with a 357-foot homer to left, making it 2-1 and giving the home side a brief foothold. That's as close as it would get.

The fourth inning is where this game was decided. Schwarber stepped up again and drove a 355-foot homer to right, scoring Marsh and pushing the lead to 4-1. That swing sent Minnesota's win probability tumbling from 42% to 23% — a 19-point collapse in a single at-bat. Harper followed with a single to center that scored Turner and made it 5-1, and at that point the Phillies were simply running up the score. Brandon Marsh put the finishing touch on it in the seventh, going deep 365 feet to right with Bohm aboard, capping the night at 7-1.

The story of the night was the contrast between the two pitching staffs. Aaron Nola went five innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out nine — that's a dominant performance by any measure, and it looks like he gave Philadelphia's bullpen a clean runway. On the other side, Taj Bradley was roughed up for 7 hits, 5 earned runs, and 4 walks across 4 innings. That kind of command trouble against a lineup this deep is a recipe for exactly what happened. Marsh finished 2-for-2 with a homer and two RBI, Luis Arraez went 3-for-5, and the Phillies' offense appears to be operating at a level that makes opposing starters uncomfortable from the jump. Minnesota's lone bright spot was Keaschall — 2-for-3 with the solo shot — but one player's good night couldn't offset what was a thorough beating.