(Photo credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images)

Fresh off an MVP performance in the All-Star Game, Kyle Schwarber leads the Philadelphia Phillies into Friday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels.

Schwarber went 0-for-2 with a walk through nine innings in Tuesday's Midsummer Classic. However, the Philadelphia slugger saved his best work for the 'swing-off,' a 3-on-3 home run derby used for the first time to determine a winner instead of calling it a tie.

'There's a lot of guys who are way more deserving of this award,' Schwarber said after homering on all three of his derby swings. 'I'm just happy that we get a win with the National League and it's going to come home with us to Philly.'

The Phillies were up and down heading into the All-Star break, finishing the first half with a 2-1 win over the San Diego Padres to improve to 55-41 and maintain first place in the NL East. Cristopher Sanchez, who logged 7 1/3 sharp innings in that contest, was one of several Philadelphia starters who shined during the season's first half.

Jesus Luzardo (8-5, 4.14 ERA) was sensational through his first 11 starts, but the results have been shaky at times over his last eight outings. That said, his final start of the first half was a sizzling effort against the San Francisco Giants -- three hits allowed over seven scoreless innings in a 13-0 romp.

'He did exactly what he told me was going to do,' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of the 27-year-old left-hander. 'Attack the hitters, fill up the strike zone, trust his stuff and just let it happen. That's what he did.'

Luzardo has faced the Angels seven times (three starts) while posting a 1-1 record with a 2.53 ERA.

Los Angeles has yet to announce a starter for Friday's contest. One of the top options could be All-Star left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (4-6, 3.11), who opted not to pitch in Tuesday's exhibition game.

Kikuchi's last outing came Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He allowed three runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 10-5 victory.

Kikuchi has made one career start against Philadelphia -- back in August 2023 as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. He gave up one run and four hits in six innings that day en route to a 2-1 victory.

The Angels took two of three from the Diamondbacks to end the first half of the season. They sit at 47-49, just four games back of the third and final wild-card spot in the American League. As far as the Los Angeles players are concerned, the time to win is now.

'In years past, it was good to see positive results, even if that didn't result in wins,' Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe said. 'But to be honest with you, we're over it. Like we know what we're capable of doing and we need to win games.'

This is the Angels' first trip to Philadelphia since 2023. The teams met in Anaheim last season with the Phillies taking two of three in a series where every game was decided by two runs or fewer.

--Field Level Media