WASHINGTON -- Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber was out of the starting lineup for a second straight game with lower back tightness on Wednesday, but was available off the bench to pinch-hit if necessary.
And it sure was necessary. The designated hitter, who had been a late scratch on Tuesday ahead of Philly's comeback win over the Nationals, worked a 10-pitch walk with two outs in the ninth inning on Wednesday to set up Derek Hill for some heroics of his own: a game-winning pinch-hit two-run homer to cap the Phils' 5-4 win.
"He seemed better today, and I'm probably being a little cautious,” Mattingly said during pregame. “If it was a different time of year, we'd do everything we could to get him to play today, and he would too, I think. Just being a little cautious with him, don't want his to end up being two weeks or something.
“I'd like him to be available for a pinch-hit or something. We'll see [how] the day goes, [whether] he feels better, good enough to swing."
Schwarber has hit a Major League-leading 29 homers, hitting four in a two-game span Saturday and Sunday. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the series-opening 4-1 loss on Monday night.
Schwarber has been a fixture in the lineup this season, having played in 75 of the Phillies first 78 games. He has a track record of durability, appearing in all 162 games last season and playing at least 150 games in four straight seasons from 2022-2025.
Mattingly left the door open for his potential return in Thursday’s finale.
“Kind of, but I don't want to put a timetable on it because [if] it takes another day, it takes another day,” Mattingly said. “We got guys that can play, so be cautious."
Bryce Harper hit third as designated hitter on Wednesday, with Alec Bohm hitting in the cleanup spot and playing first base.