The Philadelphia Phillies are beginning to find their rhythm at the perfect time, and much of that surge has been fueled by an offense that suddenly looks dangerous from top to bottom. Philadelphia capped off another strong series on Sunday with a dominant 6-0 shutout victory over the Colorado Rockies, marking the team’s 10th win in its last 13 games.
Once again, Kyle Schwarber delivered the fireworks. The slugger blasted two more home runs, pushing his season total to 16 and tying him for the Major League lead. But while Schwarber’s power has grabbed headlines, another Phillies hitter has quietly become one of the hottest bats in baseball.
Outfielder Brandon Marsh is now leading all of MLB in batting average, entering the week with a remarkable .353 mark. The breakout campaign has turned heads across the league, and Marsh admitted he is still soaking it all in.
“That’s pretty freaking cool,” Marsh said.
The 27-year-old is enjoying the best offensive stretch of his career. Along with his .353 batting average, Marsh owns a .383 on-base percentage and continues to provide consistent production near the top of the lineup. His previous career-best average came last season when he finished at .280, making this year’s leap even more impressive.
Marsh has been nearly impossible to slow down lately. He has now recorded a hit in 12 consecutive games and in 17 of his last 18 appearances overall. His bat has been especially scorching in May, where he is hitting an incredible .500 through nine games. During that stretch, Marsh has gone 17-for-34 with a double, a triple, four RBIs, and nine runs scored while helping Philadelphia win seven of those contests. He has also posted a stellar .538 on-base percentage this month.
Philadelphia’s turnaround has coincided with the club’s managerial change to Don Mattingly. Since the move, the Phillies have climbed from fourth place in the NL East into a tie for second despite still sitting nine games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves at 19-22 overall.
Now, the Phillies will try to keep the momentum rolling as they prepare for a challenging three-game showdown against the Boston Red Sox beginning Tuesday.
Marsh already sounds locked in ahead of the series and made it clear the Phillies are ready for the challenge.
“We’re playing with confidence right now,” Marsh said. “We know what kind of team we can be, and we’re going into Boston ready to compete, win games, and keep this momentum going.”
