Phillies Looking To Give Kyle Schwarber More Time At 1B As Season Wears Down

The Phillies are looking manage the everyday players as the season hits the stretch run.

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PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Philies are officially in a pennant race.

Trailing the Atlanta Braves by eight games on August 1, the Phillies have gained ground on the Braves over the past three weeks. They sit 3.5 back of the Braves entering Tuesday, which was sparked by a nine-game winning streak.

With success -- and rallying from a 9-19 start since September -- comes a price. The Phillies are a bit banged up heading into a nine-game road trip.

Luis Arraez has lower body cramps. Alec Bohm has tightness in the hamstring/groin area. Derek Hill is batting a neck injury from an impressive coach against the Cardinals earlier this month.

The Phillies lineup looked different on Sunday, with Kyle Schwarber getting the start at first base and Bryce Harper moving out of right field to designated hitter. Edmundo Sosa was at third base and Bryson Stott was back at second base. Bryan De La Cruz is in right field.

There's a lot of reshuffling in the lineup, including Schwarber getting his fifth game at first base. With 32 games left in the season, the Phillies are looking to see more of Schwarber in the field.

“I think he could," Phillies manager Don Mattingly said. "I don’t know if we’ve been willing. I didn’t think we’ve been willing to in the past.

"I think he’s been fine over there. The more you get out there and get some reps. I don’t think LF should be out of the realm for Kyle either, but we do have to take care of him — make sure he stays healthy."

With Schwarber at designated hitter, it does clog a lineup with a 33-year olf right fielder in Harper and a 35-year-old catcher in J.T. Realmuto. Harper has also experienced some knee soreness since he's moved to right field for the first time since 2022, which is also something the Phillies have to keep in mind down the stretch.

Going back to first base isn't an option the rest of the season, especially with how well Bohm has bene hitting of late.

“There’s gotta be 12-15 games a year where Bryce DHs," Mattingly said. "We gotta be able to get Bryce off his feet. He’s not 19 anymore. And there’s definitely going to be wear and tear on the body from playing all the time.”

The Phillies are making sure their players are healthy for the last five weeks of the seaosn. Not only are they in a division race, they're still in control of their own destiny for a playoff spot.

They're aware what's at stake. Every game matters at this point in the season.

If Schwarber needs to play first base, so be it. The same goes with giving players a day to recover from minor injuries. This is the time of year where minor injuries pop up, the grind of a 162-game season.

“I mean anything’s possible right" Bohm said Friday on the Phillies trying to catch the Braves. "We play them a lot coming up here. I don’t think that’s the main focus in here.

"I think we’re, you know, showing up each day and trying to play winning baseball and do what we can to win the game that’s right in front of us today."

Andrew Painter update

Aug 22, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter (24) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Painter threw seven innings in a start for the first time since September 3, 2022 -- when he was pitching for Double-A Reading. This was before Tommy John surgery, when Painter was arguably the most-talked about pitching prospect in baseball.

Not only did Painter go seven innings, he threw 103 pitches -- his most in a game this season. The Phillies haven't been cautious with Painter as the season hits the stretch run, but it's vital to see how he checked out following hitting 100 pitches for the first time in his major league career -- or in professional baseball.

Painter emerged the next day with no issues or fatique, a great sign for the Phillies.

“As far as the first medical this morning was. After the game, that’s kind of what we were getting, how he was feeling. ," Mattingly said. "But he didn’t come out of the game bad, so I figure he’s probably feeling pretty good today.”

Orion Kerkering's role

The Phillies have certainly used Kerkering all over the place in the bullpen this season. That's how his number has been called this season, due to how the bullpen has been used and his ability to pitch in every situation.

Since the trade deadline has passed, Kerkering has seen plenty of action in the seventh and eighth inning (which included an up down on Friday). Kerekering has a 3.86 ERA in the seventh inning with 22 strikeouts to six walks. In the eighth, he has a 4.26 ERA with 22 strikeouts to 15 walks.

With a full contingent, Jonathan Bowlan gets the eighth inning. The Phillies have trusted Kerkering in the seventh or eighth when Bowlan isn't available, a role they like him in for the stretch run.

"I think it’s just picking pockets right?" Mattingly said. "Sometimes it’s just — let’s say Bowlan isn’t available. 7-8 is a left-right pocket someway. If it’s a righty pocket in the seventh, it’s Kerkie in some way. Usually you’re trying to get him the better hitters. In that role, he’s getting the left and right (handed batter).

"But if we can we get right. If it’s a lefty pocket in the seventh, and that’s where we’re at — Kerkie gets the eighth. It’s where the pockets fall.”

For the first time since his call up in 2023, Kerkering seems to have a defined role in the bullpen. If it's the seventh or eighth inning, good chance he's in the game if the Phillies have a lead.