Kyle Schwarber has been giving left-handed relievers fits all season. Entering Friday’s game, the slugger had slashed .305/.418/.732 with 10 home runs and a 1.150 OPS in 98 plate appearances against southpaw relief pitchers.

Though Gore needed 37 pitches in the first inning, the Phillies’ lead did not balloon. Nick Castellanos flew out to the center-field warning track for the night’s first out. Edmundo Sosa and Otto Kemp both struck out with the bases loaded.

Kyle Schwarber has become one of the most consistent power hitters in Major League Baseball. Schwarber, 32, who has spent time with four teams during his

This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/phillies as Phillies' Kyle Schwarber Chasing Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa for Impressive Feat. As the Philadelphia Phillies look to bounce back from a tough series against the Cincinnati Reds, the team will have a great chance to do so against the Washington Nationals.

Get Phillies vs Nationals baseball betting preview, spread and over/under insights for their matchup on Aug. 17.

But Walker has a pretty solid glove of his own. After Riley Adams singled to open up the home half of the second, a comebacker from Luis García Jr. turned into an out at second. A double play then ended the inning. With yet another smooth, unconcerning frame from Walker, the era of good feelings between the fanbase and Walker continued.

The Cincinnati Reds are certainly interested. Schwarber is from Middletown, Ohio, not far from Cincy, and when the Phillies played there recently, the Reds had Schwarber's father and his youth baseball coach throw out ceremonial first pitches that the visiting Schwarber caught.

At the final out of Phillies-Nationals, Alec Bohm was 2 for 4 in Triple-A Lehigh Valley’s Thursday night game. That puts him at 3 for 16 overall in four rehab outings as he works his way back from a fractured left rib.