It’s Almost Hitting Season, 3 Home Runs Lift Phillies Over Rays 8-4
TAMPA, FLORIDA - MAY 06: Kyle Schwarber #12 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a home run in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field on May 06, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
No, it’s not spring training, and no, it’s not the New York Yankees, but the Phillies did pick up a victory at George M. Steinbrenner Field Tuesday night. Backed by a dominant performance from Zack Wheeler, the Phillies picked up an 8-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s the Fightins’ seventh win in their last nine games.
Wheeler picked up nine strikeouts over seven innings of work, allowing just two runs on a home run in the fifth. The long ball was the key once again for the Phillies, with Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm, and Nick Castellanos all hitting home runs in the win.
Both teams went down in order in their half of the first inning. However, in the top of the second, Schwarber led things off doing what he does best: hitting Schwarbombs.
Schwarber smashed his league-leading 12th home run to left field for the first run of the ballgame. Up came Castellanos, who dropped a broken bat double to shallow left center field, and Max Kepler walked to put runners on first and second with nobody out.
However, J.T. Realmuto grounded a ball to shortstop for his seventh double play of the year, but was picked up shortly after thanks to a much-needed long ball from Bohm.
Bohm turned on an outside pitch, driving it to right field for a two-run bomb, his first of the season, making it 3-0 Phillies. Before that home run, Bohm went 39 straight games without hitting a dinger, dating back September 20 of last season.
Three runs were all the Phillies picked up that inning, but Wheeler continued to dominate on the mound. He picked up back-to-back strikeouts to start the inning, and after allowing a single from Junior Caminero, he got out of the inning thanks to a sliding grab from Bryson Stott to throw out former Phillie Travis Jankowski.
The Phillies threatened to add on in the third after a single from Trea Turner and a walk from Schwarber put two runners on, but Castellanos lined out to end the inning.
Wheeler picked up another strikeout in the third, but the Phillies once again failed to add on in the fourth thanks to another double play ground out from Realmuto for his eighth of the season. In the bottom half of that inning, the Rays finally got on the board.
Brandon Lowe led off the inning with a double down the right field line for his first of the season, and two pitches later, Yandy Diaz lifted a ball to right center for a two-run home run to make it a one-run game. On top of that, Diaz’s home run was only a home run in that stadium.
Wheeler bounced back from the two earned runs and picked up a pair of strikeouts and a lineout to end the inning. Once again, a double play ended the hope of the Phillies adding runs, this time coming from a lineout double play off the bat of Bryce Harper.
Strikeout numbers six and seven for Wheeler came in the bottom of the fifth, keeping it a one-run game, but the Rays made a couple of excellent grabs in the field to send the Phillies down in order. Wheeler went back out for the sixth inning and continued to do what Wheeler does best and dominate. He got Chandler Simpson to ground out to him, dotted an inside fastball to Lowe, and got Christopher Morel to fly out to center.
Realmuto led off the inning with a walk, but was thrown out trying to steal second base. Bohm flew out to right, but Brandon Marsh walked to put a runner back on first for the top of the order. After a lengthy at-bat battle between Stott and Rays reliever Eric Orze, Orze came out victorious, getting Stott to ground out to short to end the inning.
Back out for his seventh inning of work, Wheeler allowed a leadoff single to Jonathan Aranda, but picked up his ninth strikeout and got Caminero to ground into a double play to end the inning.
In the top of the eighth, the Phillies’ bats finally woke up. Turner, Harper, and Schwarber led off the inning with back-to-back-to-back singles, with Schwarber’s hit bringing in Turner from second to double their lead.
With two runners on, Castellanos stepped up to the plate and tattooed a ball to right center for a three-run bomb, to make it 7-2 Phillies.
A pair of strikeouts from Kepler and Marsh ended that inning, but the Rays picked up a run in their half of the eighth. Orion Kerkering came on in relief for Wheeler, but allowed a leadoff walk and single to put runners on the corners with no outs. Kerkering picked up a strikeout, but a flyout from Simpson allowed Jankowski to score from third to cut the Phillies’ lead to four.
Rays’ new pitcher Cole Sulser quickly retired Stott and Turner. However, three two-out singles from Harper, Schwarber, and Castellanos brought in another insurance run, his fourth RBI of the night, to make it a five-run game lead for the Phillies once again. Matt Strahm came on for the ninth and allowed a few hits, leading to a sacrifice fly from Caminero. After allowing that run, Strahm locked in and closed the door for the Phillies, winning 8-4.
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Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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