The Los Angeles Angels couldn’t hold onto a mid-game lead as the Philadelphia Phillies surged ahead behind a Kyle Schwarber grand slam and a Bryce Harper two-run homer, ultimately falling 9-5 on Saturday night.
Schwarber crushed a sixth-inning grand slam to right field off Angels reliever José Fermin — his 32nd home run of the season and eighth career slam — flipping the momentum in favor of the Phillies. Harper added the finishing blow with a two-run shot in the eighth inning, continuing his red-hot streak at the plate.
The Angels had grabbed a 3-1 advantage in the fourth inning when Taylor Ward and Jo Adell launched back-to-back homers. Zach Neto tacked on an RBI single, though Los Angeles squandered a chance to break it open, leaving the bases loaded.
Philadelphia initially got on the board in the first after a strange play where both Schwarber and Trea Turner were tagged out on the same ground ball by Harper. Nick Castellanos followed with a two-out RBI single to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
Turner narrowed the deficit in the fifth with an RBI single. Yoan Moncada briefly restored Los Angeles’s lead with a solo homer in the top of the sixth, but Schwarber’s slam in the bottom half flipped the game permanently.
On the mound, Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi gave a strong five-inning performance before turning things over to the bullpen. Reliever Sam Bachman (2-3) was charged with the loss. Phillies pitcher Seth Johnson (1-0) earned the win with a clean inning and two strikeouts.
Key Moment:
Schwarber’s go-ahead grand slam in the sixth pushed him to third in the National League home run rankings, just behind Shohei Ohtani and Eugenio Suárez, sitting at 33 homers.
Key Stat:
Bryce Harper has been scorching at the plate, going 12-for-24 in his last six games with seven doubles and four homers.
Next Game:
The series concludes Sunday with the Angels sending right-hander José Soriano (6-7, 3.90 ERA) to the mound against Phillies left-hander Ranger Suárez (7-3, 2.15 ERA).
