Welcome to June: Kyle Schwarber blasts two home runs, Phillies take series finale vs Nationals 11-3

Welcome to June. Kyle Schwarber demolished two home runs and drove in six runs on Sunday afternoon as the Phillies beat the Nationals 11-3 for their second straight victory.

Schwarber entered yesterday batting .167/.312/.387 (92 OPS+) on the season. In the month of May, he slashed just .115/.300/.368 with 10 hits in 110 plate appearances.

Schwarber has always been a notoriously slow in the first few months of the MLB season. Fans were praying that once the calendar flipped over to June, we’d have a vintage month of long balls coupled with an offensive outburst to guide the Phillies back on the right path after a miserable month of May.

Kyle Schwarber & the month of June

March/April: .745 OPS
May: .734 OPS
June: .946 OPS
July: .784 OPS
August: .869 OPS
September/October: .864 OPS

Schwarber delivered yesterday against the Nationals.

His first home run was a three-run blast in the sixth inning to extend the Phillies’ lead to 5-1.

Kyle Schwarber Home Run No. 1

JUNE KYLE HAS ARRIVED #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/Nlwfz1wuOu
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 4, 2023

In the top of the ninth, Schwarber struck again with another three-run home run.

Kyle Schwarber Home Run No. 2

June Schwarber is here and it’s beautiful. pic.twitter.com/uio1L3pEPQ
— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) June 4, 2023

Yes, I completely understand it’s against the Washington Nationals but the Phillies had to start winning games with a high-powered offense somewhere, right?

If winning two straight and having Schwarber hitting out of the lead off spot is the way to make it happen then so be it.

Joining Schwarber yesterday was Drew Ellis, the 27-year old third baseman who was called up last week from Lehigh Valley. On the day, Ellis went 3-3 with two home runs, two walks, three RBI, and four runs scored.

Nick Castellanos stayed hot as well, going 3-5 on the day. He dominated the Nationals over the weekend, hitting a combined .571 with two home runs, five RBIs, and 2 runs scored during the three-game weekend series.

The Phillies still have plenty of work to do. They currently sit at the bottom of the well in the standings at with a NL East worst 27-32 record on the season.

Next Up: A six-game homestand with the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers coming to Citizens Bank Park.