Phillies Avoid the Worst with Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber Injuries

There's an easy path to Philly staying in first place while it plays without two of its best hitters.
Jun 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) reacts after flying out against the Miami Marlins in the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) reacts after flying out against the Miami Marlins in the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
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The Phillies have been ravaged by injuries lately, but it appears that these unfortunate times won’t last long. 

Both Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber hit the 10-day injured list with strains on Friday, but each has avoided the worst-case scenario, according to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia. 

Obviously no fan wants either of these players out of the lineup for any amount of time, but this would have been a much more dire situation if either one was set to miss a month or more.

Phillies Fans Shouldn’t Panic Just Yet

The Phillies’ lineup isn’t very dangerous without two of their best hitters, but they have the good fortune of opening this uncertain stretch against the Marlins.

Philadelphia Phillies lineup for June 28 without Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.

That good luck runs out soon, however, with series against the Cubs, Braves and Dodgers to follow. 

But you can’t just assume that losses will stack up over that stretch. 

Philadelphia has allowed the least amount of earned runs per game (3.10) in MLB this season thanks to one of the best starting rotations in baseball. 

And even though Taijuan Walker and Spencer Turnbull have also hit the injured list, that’s perfectly fine since they were the weak link in this rotation anyway. 

Philadelphia has built up an impressive lead in the NL East. It leads the second-place Braves by eight games and the third-place Mets by 12.5 games. 

The Braves have been going through their own struggles, too. Atlanta is just 12-12 in June and there’s no good reason to think it’ll snap out of that funk any time soon. 

If Philadelphia can battle through its next three series with anything close to a .500 record, fans will have no reason to worry. 

Philly gets another break with a series against the Athletics leading into the All-Star Break. By the time the second half of the season begins (with series against the Pirates and Twins), it will have been three weeks since Harper and Schwarber hit the IL.

And you don’t think Philadelphia is going to stand pat at the trade deadline, do you?

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