PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kyle Schwarber hit a tying home run in the seventh inning and drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the eighth, as the Philadelphia Phillies rallied for a 6-4 victory over Manny Machado and the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of a doubleheader Saturday.
Machado had led San Diego 4–3 with his 300th home run, a solo shot in the eighth.
Bryce Harper then tied the score in the eighth with a pinch-hit RBI infield single to help the Phillies snap a three-game losing streak.
“We’ll keep locking it in and grinding it to the end,” Schwarber said.
Trent Grisham also homered for the Padres, who were en route to their fourth straight win.
“A lot of good things happened and a lot of bad things happened,” said San Diego manager Bob Melvin.
Philadelphia right-hander Taijuan Walker (10-3, 4.02 ERA) faces Padres lefty Ryan Weathers (1-5, 6.08) in the nightcap.
Machado’s homer off Matt Strahm (6-3) to lead off the eighth inning put the Padres up 4-3. The 31-year-old slugger was red hot this month, recording his eighth home run in the Majors in July and his 17th of the season. He’s gone deep in three games in a row, hitting four home runs over that stretch, and six in his last six games.
“What he’s been doing these past few weeks has been pretty torrid,” said Melvin.
The Phillies took the lead at the bottom against Tim Hill (1-3). Bryson Stott reached on an error by third baseman Rougned Odor to start the inning, moved to third on Brandon Marsh’s single to right and scored on Harper’s grounder to short.
Schwarber followed with a single in the middle and scored Marsh to make it 5-4 before Trea Turner’s RBI single added another run.
Craig Kimbrell, in his first appearance since earning the save in the National League’s 3-2 All-Star victory over American League on Tuesday night, pitched the ninth for his 15th save in as many attempts. Kimbrel got Machado into short right field with runners on first and second base to end the game.
“They just keep fighting,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. “It’s the quality of character in the clubhouse. They never give up.”
After the Phillies tied the score at 3 in the seventh on Schwarber’s 140-yard drive to center from Nick Martinez, Machado hit a 94 mph fastball from Strahm into second deck into left field.
Grisham put the Padres ahead 3-0 with a three-point shot off Ranger Suárez in the second inning. Philadelphia probably should have been a batter out of the inning sooner, but shortstop Turner attempted a backflip to second instead of throwing to first for the final out on Matthew Batten’s grounder. An unexpected Edmundo Sosa couldn’t hold onto the ball to force out Gary Sánchez.
Padres starter Blake Snell, in the final season of a five-year, $50 million contract, cut his ERA to 2.71 while striking out seven, walking three and giving up three hits in five scoreless innings. Snell was waived after 82 pitches on a muggy 90-degree afternoon.
Philadelphia came within a run on Marsh’s opposing field two-run double to leave Steven Wilson in the sixth inning.
HARPER UPDATE
Phillies slugger Harper was not in the starting lineup for the opener, but would bat fourth as the designated hitter in the nightcap. The two-time NL MVP is in the worst homeless drought of his career. Harper hasn’t gone deep since May 25, a span of 165 at bats.
He was sidelined in the final game before the All-Star break after being hit by a pitch on his right elbow, which he had off-season Tommy John surgery for. Thomson said before Friday’s game that Harper would be able to get back on the field and play first base instead of his usual outfield position for the first time since April 2022, but afterwards said Harper would not play first against San Diego.
ROJAS REEL
Phillies’ center fielder Johan Rojas made a high-flying catch in the first inning of his big league-debut, crashing into the wall to send Fernando Tatis Jr. Kim.
“It was unbelievable,” Rojas said through an interpreter. “Pretty special moment.”
TRAINERS ROOM
Padres: Tatis was drilled on the buttocks by a 98-mph fastball from Yunior Marte in the seventh, but stayed in the game.
NEXT ONE
The teams wrap up their four-game series on Sunday when Padres RHP Seth Lugo (3-4, 3.39) takes on Phillies ace RHP Zack Wheeler (7-4, 4.05).
