Turner switches his luck with outstanding week
PHILADELPHIA — Phillies followers can’t cease standing for Trea Turner.
Turner hit a go-ahead two-run house run to left-center discipline within the sixth inning in the Phils’ 6-2 victory over the Nationals on Thursday evening at Citizens Bank Park. It capped a exceptional week for him. Turner is batting .370 (10-for-27) with 4 doubles, two house runs, eight RBIs and a 1.134 OPS in seven video games since final Friday, when he acquired standing ovations earlier than every of his plate appearances towards the Royals.
Months from now, everyone would possibly look again at this week because the turning level in Turner’s season.
“I would love to keep playing what I think is me and how I’ve played for a while now in my career,” Turner stated. “I’ve sort of hopefully put these first 100 video games behind me. And [now I can] simply maintain going and taking part in baseball like I can.”
Turner returned to Philadelphia final Friday following a nightmarish seven-game street journey throughout which he: fell from second to seventh to eighth within the lineup; batted .103 (3-for-29) with one double, three walks and eight strikeouts; and dedicated a pair expensive errors that contributed to losses in Pittsburgh and Miami.
Everything has regarded and felt totally different since.
“Maybe it’s the crowd, maybe it’s a little bit better swing, maybe it’s better pitches, maybe I’m relaxed,” Turner stated. “I don’t know if there’s one specific thing. I think just everything as a whole is in a better direction, better shape.”
“He looks like Trea Turner, and that’s good,” Phillies supervisor Rob Thomson stated.
Nick Castellanos has been on a tear, too. He hit a two-run homer within the seventh inning to provide the Phillies a 4-1 lead. Castellanos is batting .302 (13-for-43) with six homers, 12 RBIs and a 1.039 OPS in his previous 10 video games. It has been a dramatic turnaround after he batted .122 with a .349 OPS in 22 video games from July 4-31.
“For the most part, he’s using the middle of the diamond,” Thomson stated. “For the first three at-bats, he didn’t. And then finally with the home run he hit it to left-center, he used the [whole] field. And that’s where his strength is.”
J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run homer within the seventh to make it 6-1.
The Phillies (64-52) have homered 17 instances of their previous six video games. It helps clarify why they’ve received eight of their previous 11 video games to enhance to a season-high 12 video games over .500. They have a 1 1/2-game lead over the Giants for the first NL Wild Card spot, which is vital as a result of the highest Wild Card will host a best-of-three collection within the first spherical of the playoffs. They even have a 4 1/2-game lead over the Cubs and Reds, who’re tied for fourth within the NL Wild Card race.
“That’s really who these guys are,” Thomson stated concerning the Phillies’ current homer barrage. “They’re a slug team. You’re seeing it now. I hope it keeps up.”
