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If there were any doubts about the Phillies’ run-scoring abilities after Wednesday’s 6-0 loss to the Mets, capping off a series sweep in Queens, then those uncertainties were put to rest on Thursday versus Atlanta. Philadelphia went yard seven times, scored 19 runs, and their top power hitter joined Eugenio Suárez and Nick Kurtz as the third members of the 2025 four-homer club. Oh yeah, and any momentum the Mets had in the NL East race after their sweep of Philadelphia is now gone after some sloppy defense led to a series-opening loss versus Miami.
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Today’s Headlines
Schwarber Joins Suarez and Kurtz in the Four Homer Club
At first, it looked as though Aaron Nola and the Phillies were in for another tough contest after their rough series against the Mets. Atlanta jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning courtesy of a two-run single by the scorching hot Michael Harris II. However, Nola settled in and allowed only one run over the next five frames, and thanks to a five-run bottom half of the first, Philly took a two-run lead into the second inning and never looked back. What Atlanta didn’t know…the five-run opening frame was just the beginning.
Kyle Schwarber entered the day tied with Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani for the NL home run lead. After a first-inning solo bomb to right field off Atlanta starting pitcherCal Quantrill put his team on the board, the designated hitter let a couple of frames go by before continuing his historical quest.
Meanwhile, some of Schwarber’s teammates joined in on the homer barrage. J.T. Realmuto and Max Kepler added a pair of two-run shots to cap off the opening frame, while Bryce Harper hit a solo homer in the third to give the home team a 6-3 advantage.
The rest of the game was highlighted by Schwarber’s offensive onslaught. With one man on in the fourth, Schwarbs hit his second long ball of the night into the right field seats to give his club a 10-3 lead.
By his next at-bat in the fifth, Schwarber’s team led by nine runs, and he decided to make things interesting by going oppo off Atlanta reliever Austin Cox.
Make that three homers and six RBI for Schwarber. But, he wasn’t done. Onto the seventh, where Atlanta reliever Wander Suero would be Kyle’s next victim on a line drive homer off the ESPN BET sign in right field. A fitting way to enter the record books if anyone placed bets on the left-handed slugger.
With four homers and nine RBI already, Schwarber would get a final plate appearance in the bottom of the eighth against position player Vidal Bruján. History on the line against a non-pitcher, and a chance to be the first person in MLB history with five homers in a game. Could the scenario have been any better for Schwarbs? Probably not, but after an eephus pitch clocked at 57.4 mph induced a pop out to left fielder Eli White, Schwarber’s career homerless streak against position players increased to 14 plate appearances.
Schwarber’s final line: 4-for-6, four homers, four runs scored, and nine RBI. He joins Suarez and Kurtz in the 2025 four-homers in a game club, and is the 21st player in MLB history to reach that mark. Schwarbs is the fourth Phillie to join the club, and the first since Mike Schmidt in 1976. Also, his nine runs batted in are the most in franchise history.
Final score: Philadelphia-19, Atlanta-4
Costly Decisions by the Mets Lead to a Bad Loss
Sometimes in baseball, all you can do is blame the defense. That was the case in Thursday’s series-opening contest between the Mets and Marlins. New York’s starting pitcher Clay Holmes took an early 2-1 lead into the third inning. With one out and the speedy Xavier Edwards on third, second baseman Jeff McNeil fielded a weak grounder off the bat of Liam Hicks. Instead of taking the easy out at first, McNeil tried to make a near-impossible play at home to get the charging Edwards. That didn’t work, and the Fish tied the game 2-2.
Two batters later, outfielder Troy Johnston hit a grounder to first baseman Pete Alonso, who fielded it cleanly and made a routine throw to Holmes covering first. However, the ball inexplicably popped out of the pitcher’s glove, leading to Miami’s third run of the contest.
The Marlins added one more run in the third inning, and led 4-2 before Alonso tied it in the fifth on his 30th homer of ’25.
The game remained even at four into the seventh until more fielding blunders by the Mets cost them dearly. After New York’s reliever Gregory Soto allowed a leadoff single to Jakob Marsee, an error by Alonso set up a first and second situation for catcher Agustín Ramírez. The rookie lined a single to left fielder Brandon Nimmo, who bobbled the ball, allowing Marsee to score the go-ahead and eventual winning run from second.
Final score: Marlins-7, Mets-4. After cutting Philadelphia’s NL East lead to four games on Wednesday, New York is now five back in the division with 28 matches remaining.
Red Sox and Yankees Gain on Idle Blue Jays
Boston’s Cy Young contender, Garrett Crochet, tossed six innings of two-run ball against the Orioles for his 18th quality start of the year. However, the lefty departed with the game tied at two, and despite Boston winning its fourth straight contest thanks to a Romy González go-ahead single in the eighth, Crochet was denied his 15th W of the campaign. Final score: Boston-3, Orioles-2.
In other AL East action, the Yankees entered Thursday trailing Boston by a half-game for the top AL wild card position. New York had no issues putting up its third double-digit scoring effort this week with a 10-4 series-opening win on the road versus the White Sox. Starting pitcher Will Warren tossed five scoreless innings for his eighth win of the year, and Cody Bellinger led the visiting squad with three knocks, including his 26th homer in the opening frame.
Toronto leads Boston and New York in the AL East by 3.5 and four games, respectively.
Best Moments From Yesterday
Giants Win Fifth Straight on Lee Walk-Off
It’s probably too little too late at this point for the sub-.500 San Francisco Giants. However, San Fran won their fifth straight contest after a Jung Hoo Lee walk-off single finished a series sweep of the visiting Chicago Cubs.
The Giants’ 4-3 victory improved their record to 66-68, but they still trail the Mets by six games for the final NL wild card spot. Shortstop Willy Adames homered twice and drove in three of San Francisco’s runs. Despite the loss, the Cubs remain atop the NL wild card standings by one game over the Padres.
Home Run Robbery by Perkins
MLB’s top team was unable to complete a 3-1 series win over the Arizona Diamondbacks after a 6-4 loss led to a split series. However, Milwaukee still leads Toronto by 4.5 games for the best record in the majors, and even in defeat, Brewers fans can still appreciate robberies at the wall like the one shown here by center fielder Blake Perkins in the fifth inning.
Walker Delivers Clutch Homer for Astros
It took a few months for first baseman Christian Walker to get going with his new club. Walker hit .229 with 12 homers and 47 RBI over 90 first-half contests. Not great. However, the second half has been a different story, and after Thursday’s two-homer performance, which included a go-ahead solo dinger in the eighth against the visiting Rockies, Walker is batting .259 with nine long balls and 27 ribbies through 37 second-half games. The Astros won 4-3 and increased their AL West lead to two games over the idle Seattle Mariners.
Cowser’s Barehanded Grab
When a baseball player has to battle the natural elements, whether it be the wind, the rain, or sometimes even the snow, ask a big leaguer if there’s anything worse than trying to catch a ball with the sun in their eyes? My guess is that the majority of them would say no. But there are times when someone like outfielder Colton Cowser can still make an out despite the glaring sun affecting his vision. Check out this barehanded grab by the 25-year-old after the ball bounced out of his glove.
Injuries and Other Moves
⚾ Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager will be undergoing an appendectomy after he was diagnosed with appendicitis. There’s no timetable for the two-time World Series MVP’s return. The oft-injured Seager was hitting .281 with eight homers and 20 RBI in the second half.
⚾ New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez broke his pinky on Wednesday during the sixth inning of a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse. Alvarez was working his way back from another hand-related injury after he sprained the UCL in his thumb. The 23-year-old last played in an MLB game on August 17 against Seattle and is hopeful to return this season.
⚾ The Chicago Cubs placed SP Jameson Taillon on the 15-day IL with a left groin strain. Taillon has made two starts since returning from a lengthy absence due to a right calf strain just over a week ago. The 33-year-old won both of those starts upon his return, and now will be ineligible to play until September 9. Chicago recalled Javier Assad from Triple-A Iowa to take Taillon’s spot in the rotation.
⚾ The Red Sox placed first baseman Nathaniel Lowe on paternity leave on Thursday. Lowe is batting .296 since joining Boston via free agency on August 18 after the Washington Nationals designated him for assignment a few days beforehand.
⚾ In other Boston news, the Sox are calling up their top pitching prospect, 22-year-old southpaw Payton Tolle, for a Friday start versus Paul Skenes and the Pirates. In 20 appearances between three levels of minor league ball, Tolle is 3-5 with a 3.04 ERA, and has struck out 133 batters over 91.2 frames.
⚾ So long, Carlos Santana. The Cleveland Guardians released their longtime first baseman on Thursday after spending 11 of his 15 big league seasons with the franchise. Santana played 116 games this season with Cleveland and hit .225 with 11 home runs and 52 RBI. The 39-year-old enters the free agent market and is postseason eligible if a team signs him by September 1.
Articles You Should Read
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10 stars who need to finish strong going into free agency — Thomas Harrigan, MLB.com
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