Schwarber’s 8th-inning home run sinks Braves
PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Schwarber, the MLB’s leader in home runs, obliterated a 2-2, 99.7-mph fastball from Braves’ reliever Didier Fuentes, and that was all the Phillies needed in a 1-0 win Monday at Citizens Bank Park. This was the fastest game in the MLB so far this season, taking just 1 hour and 51 minutes.
Schwarber’s 43rd home run of the season in the eighth inning went 415 feet into the second deck for the game’s lone run. The victory brought the Phillies (81-63) within four games of the NL East-leading Braves after the two teams split a four-game series.
“It would have been great to take three out of four, but winning that game (Sunday), that was a pivotal win,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “You wanna win series, but all things considered, not a bad outcome.
Phillies’ left-hander Jesús Luzardo (14-5) pitched a shutout, fanning 12 and allowing just two hits, a single in the fourth inning and single in the eighth. It was Luzardo’s first career shutout and the game took one hour and 51 minutes.
The Braves (85-59) did not get a baserunner to second base.
“It’s about as good as it gets,” Weiss said. “We didn’t really even threaten today. It was tough tough barreling him up.”
Grant Holmes was also great for the Braves on Monday, throwing six scoreless innings and striking out six — including Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Luis Arraez in succession at one point. Holmes was in a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the first, then retired 10 in a row before a leadoff single in the fifth.
“I feel like I kind of let the atmosphere get to me a little bit,” Holmes said of his shaky first inning. “I just kind of settled in that second inning, and I tried not to do too much. Just filled up the strike zone as best I could.”
Monday marked the sixth time this season Holmes has pitched at least six scoreless innings. And not counting Wednesday in Washington D.C., were Holmes was pulled after three innings because of a lengthy weather delay, the righty has gone six scoreless in four of his past six starts.
He made the Phillies swing and miss 17 times and 12 of his 56 strikes were called.
“I feel like every the (velocity) was up all around the board. Movement was up — that was also a thing in the first inning. The two-seamer that I was throwing, I wasn’t used to that kind of movement. Not quite sure how I got that, but it was part of the problem in the first inning,” Holmes said. “Mostly I just tried to use my legs a little bit more.”
For the series, Braves starters allowed just six earned runs across 21 2/3 innings for a 2.49 ERA.