It’s been an eventful couple days for the Philadelphia Phillies as the team takes on the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-game series. On Monday, legendary pitcher Roger Clemens watched his son Kody Clemens rip a walk-off RBI single into right field in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Rays 2-1. On Tuesday tempers flared and the benches cleared after Nick Castellanos got beaned by Rays reliever Edwin Uceta.

In both games designated hitter Kyle Schwarber went deep for the Phillies. But it was his homer on Tuesday that made history. Schwarber got things started in the bottom of the first inning when he mashed a 96 mph four-seam fastball from Taj Bradley 437 feet to dead center. It was Schwarber's 14th lead off home run on the season, a new MLB record.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, Schwarber was forced to exit Tuesday’s game against the Rays in the fourth inning with an elbow ailment. The injury is a bruised / hyperextended left elbow, according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb on X. Phillies manager Rob Thomson plans to pencil Schwarber into the lineup for the series finale against Tampa Bay on Wednesday but the slugger will have to test his ailing elbow out prior to the game before a final decision is made, per Gelb.

Kyle Schwarber is powering the Phillies to new heights

Sep 9, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) reacts after hitting a home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park.
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After going yard in the first inning on Tuesday, Schwarber walked in the third and it’s believed he hurt his elbow while diving back to first base on a pickoff attempt. Buddy Kennedy, who worked a two out walk that helped set up Clemens’ heroics on Monday, replaced Schwarber in the lineup.

Losing Schwarber would be a blow to a gelling Phillies team. The 10-year veteran is as hot as any hitter in baseball. He has three home runs in his last five games and he’s in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak during which he has seven homers, 13 RBI and 12 runs scored. He even had a three-home run game against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 3.

Schwarber is up to 35 dingers, 95 RBI, 100 runs and a league-leading 98 walks with an .859 OPS, an OPS+ of 140 and 3.4 bWAR in 133 games for Philadelphia this season. He’s helped power the Phillies to the best record in baseball.

At 29 games over .500, Philadelphia has an eight-game lead over the second-place New York Mets in the National League East. The team is number two in the MLB Power Rankings. Phillies fans hope Schwarber doesn’t miss time as the team enters the postseason stretch run.