Tyler Phillips throws four-hit shutout, Phils hit four homers to even series with Guardians

When Tyler Phillips made his major league debut with the Phillies earlier this month, he didn’t think anything could top the moment.

That is, until Saturday, when he walked out to the mound for the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians three outs away from not just a complete game, but a shutout. The Citizens Bank Park crowd stood and roared for the Bishop Eustace grad, who was in the midst of his fourth appearance and third start as a Phillie.

“My body has never felt that before,” Phillips said. “You got chills; you’re trying not to laugh. You want to tear up. You’re choked up. I don’t know what was going on. But I felt like I was able to throw 100 miles per hour at that point.

“And all I wanted to do was sit those guys back down on the bench.”

Phillips did just that, striking out the first two batters swinging and inducing a flyout to preserve the 8-0 victory against Cleveland. The South Jersey native allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out four over the night, on 105 total pitches.

“He’s kind of got that bulldog mentality,” Kyle Schwarber said. “It’s kind of old school. You see him coming up the steps and not looking at anyone in the eyes. And he’s really intent on what he’s going to do out there on the mound, and really focused on trying to make quality pitches right. As soon as the inning’s done, he’s right back down there to the tunnel and he’s prepping for that next inning.”

For a Phillies offense that had been sputtering since the All-Star break, an 8-0 win was just what the doctor ordered. A seven-run outburst in the fourth inning, fueled by home runs from Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh, and Schwarber, provided Phillips with plenty of run support to even the series at home.

Harper got things started on offense with a two-run shot to left field that marked his 100th homer at Citizens Bank Park.

Marsh then broke out of his slump in a big way with a two-run homer of his own, which snapped an 0-for-25 skid. He followed it up with a base hit in the seventh to finish 2-for-4. Marsh, starting in center field on Saturday, also made some key plays in the outfield, including a jumping catch at the wall that robbed Steven Kwan of an extra-base hit in the third inning.

“Good to see Marshy get it going,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “When Harp hit his home run, it was just like the blood came back in everybody’s heads, and just kind of relaxed everybody.”

Schwarber joined the home run party with a three-run shot to center that put the Phillies up by seven, the biggest lead the Phillies have had since the All-Star break. Schwarber also clubbed a pair of doubles.

Nick Castellanos tacked on another run in the fifth with a solo homer.

“Over the last week ... we’ve been hitting some balls hard and just haven’t been getting hits,” Schwarber said. “And it is what it is. But you know, we have to continue with our work. Like I’ve always said, no one’s happy after a loss. And everyone’s putting in the work every single day to go out there and make sure that we’re going to be prepared for whenever we do stuff across those lines.”

The Phillies’ defense was also sharp. After a sloppy performance in the series opener, the Phillies infield turned three double plays on Saturday. That included an unassisted double play by Harper, who made a diving catch to snag a line drive and then beat David Fry back to first base.

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Newly acquired Austin Hays didn’t take long to make an impression with his new club. Hays received a standing ovation before his first at-bat, and responded with a single to center field that gave the Phillies their first baserunner of the game.

“He’s kind of fit in like a glove already,” Schwarber said. “He’s a professional, everything that’s about him. I remember when I got traded, you kind of want to stay out of the way, bug-eyed, and he’s just fit right on in.”

Alec Bohm was removed from the game in the seventh inning as a precaution with a left ankle contusion. Edmundo Sosa replaced him at third base.