Max Kepler’s numbers didn’t demand a lineup spot Tuesday night.
Rob Thomson’s promise did.
The Phillies manager had told his outfielders after the trade deadline that left field and center field would be platoon spots for six games. Harrison Bader’s go-ahead homer on Monday against a right-hander didn’t change that.
So against Orioles righty Dean Kremer, the left-handed-hitting Kepler started in left and batted seventh. He walked to the plate with a .645 OPS for the season, .566 since June 1, and .536 since the start of July — and left the ballpark with his best night since Opening Day.
Kepler went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and two runs scored in Philadelphia’s 5-0 win at Citizens Bank Park. Both hits came off Kremer, marking his first multi–extra-base-hit game since March 31.
“It was good,” Thomson said. “He got the ball up in the air. That’s what we’re looking for, because he’s got pop.”
The breakthrough came in the second inning. Leading 1-0 with a runner on second and a 2-2 count, Kepler turned on a fastball down and in, lofting it just over the fence in right-center for his 12th homer of the year.
Two innings later, he jumped on a hanging curveball and drilled it down the right-field line for a double. Bryson Stott followed with a triple off the top of the wall in right, pushing the lead to 4-0.
Brandon Marsh also played his part, starting the scoring in the second with an RBI double and capping the night with a solo homer in the eighth — his third in seven games after going 18 straight without one.
Taijuan Walker (4-5) made the offense stand up. He scattered four hits over six shutout innings, struck out four, and didn’t issue a walk. The bullpen closed it out, and new closer Jhoan Duran wasn’t needed after Marsh’s late homer.
Kremer (8-8) surrendered four earned runs on eight hits in six innings. Jordan Westburg had two hits for Baltimore, but the Orioles have now dropped five of their last six games. They also saw their streak of seven consecutive games with a home run against the Phillies — dating to July 24, 2023 — come to an end.
For Kepler, the production was a relief in a season where offense has been hard to find.
"I’ve had plenty of these rough patches in my career," he told reporters. "I think being in a new place, a new setting, you want to make a good impression. I still do. That’s not going to fade until the season’s over and the job is done. It’s baseball and I just have to put my head down and keep going and try to stay as present as I can."
Staying present hasn’t always been easy.
“To be honest, it does get to me,” Kepler said. “I’m an overthinker… I have to remind myself… that I’m in a beautiful place and a beautiful opportunity and to just enjoy the moment, regardless of rough patches or not.”
And the boos from the home crowd?
“I think it’s their love language when they boo,” Kepler said. “Sometimes, I don’t fully grasp or understand as to why they’re booing. So I’ve kind of separated myself from that.”
Thomson’s plan calls for Weston Wilson in left and Bader in center on Wednesday against left-hander Trevor Rogers. The manager will reassess the outfield mix on Thursday.
For one night, though, Kepler raised his OPS to .661, the Phillies’ winning streak reached three games, and the NL East lead stood at 2 1/2 games.
A promise kept. A plan executed. And a struggling hitter who gave his manager exactly what he needed.
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