ATLANTA — Maybe Trea Turner should be in the Home Run Derby, too.
When Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber joined JT Realmuto on the injured list last Friday, the Phillies knew they needed others to step up, and Turner has done nothing but rack up the slack since.
He started the Phillies’ road trip at Wrigley Field this week with a two-run homer to left-center, and he added two more to left-center Friday night to lead the Phillies. 8-6 victory over the rival Braves.
“I’m not necessarily trying to do that when I go like this,” he said. I think I’m hitting more correctly, I don’t feel like I’m cheating, I’m not touching the ball, I’m just letting it happen, I feel like my swing is in a better spot, my decision. -Actually, my ability to adjust was way better this year than last and that’s normal for my work, being able to adjust.
Turner has been on fire with seven extra-base hits, 10 RBI and 11 runs over the past nine games. After returning from the injured list, he hit .343.
“It’s who he is,” manager Rob Thomson said. “When he gets hot, he gets hotter than the country. He’s not the biggest guy on the planet and I don’t know how he hits the ball yet. He’s got bat speed and he picks things up and when he gets up. Air, he goes.
“For him to go down all that time and not go into rehab and have the at-bats he’s had since coming back is a testament to the athlete and the shape he’s in.”
Turner and the Phillies had a frustrating night of work before finally breaking through in the fourth inning on Max Fried and heading into a big streak. They stranded six baserunners through the first three on a failed safety squeeze by Johan Rojas and a bases-loaded groundout from Whit Merrifield.
They pushed across their first run on a fielder’s choice by Bryson Stott, and Turner hit his first two-run homer. Christian Pache led them with his best at-bat in weeks, an eight-run single that advanced Yohan Rojas to third.
The bottom of the order looked like a glaring weakness when the Phillies lost Harper and Schwarber to injuries two weeks after Realmuto underwent surgery on his right meniscus. On Friday night, for example, their 6-7-8-9 was Merrifield, Rafael Marchan, Rojas and Pache.
However, the win at Trust Park made the Phillies 5-2 without their three big-money bats. Much of that is thanks to the fact that Turner, Nick Castellanos and Alec Bohm will participate in the Home Run Derby in addition to starting the All-Star Game on Friday.
But Marchan and Garrett Stubbs also held their own at the plate, Pache helped Friday’s first rally and Rojas made a huge defensive game to close Wednesday’s victory in Chicago before going down twice with an RBI and a stolen base in Atlanta.
The Phillies hold a 10-game lead over the Braves on the season, 58-30.
Aaron Nola caught Atlanta early with a check. It was his 37th career start for the Braves, and he made ridiculous swings in his first two innings against hitters like Ozzie Albies, Marcell Ozuna, Adam Duvall and Orlando Arcia who have seen him a zillion times.
Nola (10-4, 3.48) didn’t put a man down until Albies singled in the bottom of the fourth. Austin Riley hit .365 against him with five doubles and six home runs, then singled Nola up the middle to make it a one-run game.
Albies hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to bring the Braves closer, but Ozuna lined out in the tying run to end Nola’s night. The Braves made three errors in the top of the seventh and when the Phillies went to Orion Kerking, the first reliever out of the pen, the lead grew to five. Jose Alvarado one inning later.
Jeff Hoffman made the save, 13 for Alvarado in the eighth.
The Phillies tried to win the series Saturday night as Ranger Suarez faced off against rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach. Heading into the series anything but swept, they achieved a crucial weekend goal as they knew they would return home with at least an eight-game lead in the division.