The Philadelphia Phillies have activated 1B Bryce Harper and DH Kyle Schwarber from the 10-day injured list ahead of their matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Harper had previously been sidelined with a hamstring injury, suffered on June 27th, while Schwarber had been dealing with a groin issue, suffered in the same game vs. Miami.
The matchup with LA presents a good litmus test for where both clubs are at as Major League Baseball nears it’s annual All-Star break. Philadelphia currently boasts an MLB best 58-32 record, while the Dodgers sit atop the NL West with a 55-36 mark.
Both clubs have enjoyed fast starts to the season, with each franchise sitting 7.5 games clear of 2nd place in their respective divisions. Nevertheless, the injury bug has reared its ugly head several times this season for each NL club.
Philadelphia still has 6 players dealing with nagging injuries, including All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto and starter Taijuan Walker. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have former MVP Mookie Betts, and a slew of pitchers including Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow on the mend as well.
As a result, both teams have posted rather pedestrian 5-5 records over their previous 10 games. With most sports books featuring the Phillies and Dodgers as “1A/1B” favourites to represent the National League at this year’s World Series, this week’s matchup could be a preview of what’s to come in the fall.
Photo: D. Benjamin Miller. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication