The Phillies could use Kyle Schwarber to turn back into Mr. June just like he always has

Throughout his career, Kyle Schwarber has been Mr. June.

As soon as the calendar flips from May each year, he seems to unlock another level of power. Schwarber, whose career OPS in June is .912, averages one home run per every 10.94 at-bats during the month.

That ranks him third in MLB history out of hitters with at least 600 at-bats. The only names ahead of him? Babe Ruth (every 10.64 at-bats) and Mark McGwire (every 10.8 at-bats). It’s been a quirk of Schwarber’s career that has inspired the nickname “the Junebarian.”

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June isn’t quite halfway over yet, but so far, the trend hasn’t totally held up. Schwarber is slashing .132/.233/.289 in 43 plate appearances this month.

Considering his torrid start to the season, he was bound to cool off at some point. But with Bryce Harper on the 10-day injured list with right wrist inflammation — and no timetable for his return — the Phillies could really use some June power from Schwarber. That’s why it was a bit of a relief when he smashed a solo home run in Wednesday’s 7-2 win over the Cubs.

“It felt great,” Schwarber said. “I know I’ve been stinking here for the last [little] bit, but it’s part of the game where there’s always going to be challenges. There’s always going to be different things you’re going to have to overcome. … You keep putting in work to put yourself in a really good position to go out there and compete during the game.”

It was Schwarber’s second home run of the month and his 21st of the season. He is the only player on the Phillies with double-digit home runs. Harper ranks second on the team with nine.

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The Phillies rely heavily on Schwarber to bring the power, even more so with Harper out of the lineup. It’s no coincidence that since he started to slump this month, the Phillies have a 3-7 record.

“As a whole, it’s not that we haven’t been getting hits or anything like that,” third baseman Alec Bohm said. “I just think the big hit has been kind of avoiding us a little bit.”

Schwarber’s third-inning home run, which was 109.6 mph off the bat and carried 431 feet, certainly could be classified as a big hit. And it wasn’t the Phillies’ only one on Wednesday. Schwarber was frustrated later in the game when he chased a knuckle curve below the zone to strike out with two runners in scoring position. But Bohm picked him up with a two-run single.

“That’s what it’s all about there,” Schwarber said. “If we keep doing things like that throughout the course of the year, good things are going to happen.”

The offensive outburst that sealed the series victory over the Cubs wasn’t just good for morale. It also secured a postseason tiebreaker, which could affect playoff seeding come October.

“It could play big coming down the stretch or in the playoffs,” manager Rob Thomson said. “You’ve got to get there. So I’m not assuming anything. But that’s a good club over there. They can really swing the bats, and to win the season series against them, that’s huge.”

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And after Thursday’s off day, Schwarber and the rest of the offense will have the chance to prove that they have shaken the early June blues against Toronto, which has won 12 of its last 14. That includes two wins over the Phillies last week.

“I feel like we know what we have, right?” Schwarber said. “We’ve been in a little rut, and we’re finding our way out of it. We know that if we do what we need to do, we know that we’re not going to be losing many games overall.

“But we know the course of the season, and we know that there’s always going to be a sense of urgency. … I feel like we’re on the right steps.”