Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper homer as Phillies snap skid with 4-3 win over Diamondbacks

Scott Lauber, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Apr 11, 2026

Published in Baseball

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PHILADELPHIA — It was “Kids Opening Day,” and the Phillies showed up to the party toting a record of 6-7, apropos of a joke that only kids seem to get.

But nobody thinks it’s funny when a team doesn’t hit.

That was the backdrop Saturday, with the Phillies having scored in one of their last 29 innings. And although they are correct in noting that it’s premature to panic, the Phillies’ early funk has exposed flaws in the construction of a lineup that lacks right-handed power.

Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper can’t help with that. They bat from the left side. But the Phillies don’t have any better way to generate offense than when their two sluggers go deep. When they do it back-to-back, it’s a devastating one-two punch.

Sure enough, Schwarber and Harper smashed homers in a span of three pitches in the third inning, and this time, it was enough for a 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks that evened the three-game series.

After Taijuan Walker gave up more first-inning runs to create a hole that felt far steeper than 2-0, the Phillies put two runners on base in front of Schwarber. He got a change-up from Arizona starter Brandon Pfaadt and lined a missile into the right-field bleachers for a 3-2 lead.

Up stepped Harper, among the few Phillies who have hit the ball hard this week. Pfaadt started him with a curveball, consistent with the pattern that most teams use against Harper. He laid off the breaking ball in the dirt, then crushed a fastball 419 feet to right-center.

The Phillies were 37-12 last season when Schwarber homered. When Harper went deep, they were 19-6. This season, they’re 5-0 when either player homers.

It’s a tried-and-true formula.

Walker settled after the first inning and got through the fifth. Tim Mayza, Orion Kerkering, José Alvarado, Brad Keller and closer Jhoan Duran passed the baton to get the final 12 outs and snap a three-game losing skid.