Kyle Schwarber defied the numbers.
Facing Atlanta ace Chris Sale, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner who held left-handed batters to a .544 OPS last season, Schwarber teed off on Tuesday night.
The Phillies slugger singled in the top of the first inning off Sale, ripped a triple to center field in the third and launched a 462-foot home run in the fifth. Schwarber finished 3-for-3 with a walk and was a double shy of the cycle, while Nick Castellanos was 3-for-4 with two doubles.
Behind an outfield mishap, an off night from starter Zack Wheeler and some more bullpen struggles, Philadelphia squandered those offensive performances, falling to the Braves, 7-5, in the opener of a three-games series at Truist Park.