A rollercoaster game for Trea Turner ends in Phillies win

The duality of Trea Turner’s season was on full display in the Philadelphia Phillies 10-7 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the series opener at Citizens Bank Park. 

At the plate, the shortstop put on a show. In the field, he played less than exemplary defense. 

But as of late, that’s how it goes for Turner who endured more twists and turns than the Great Nor’Easter at Morey’s Pier down the shore Monday night. 

“Just a ridiculous game in general by me,” Turner said.

“I’m just happy we got the win. Just a rollercoaster, up, down, up, down, but when you do things like that or have games like that you just have to laugh about it.” 

It was easier to have a lighter mood in a game where he could have been charged with three errors thanks to his performance in the right-handed batter's box.

The 33-year-old made up for his sloppy night with the leather in a big way with his bat, clubbing a pair of home runs and driving in five runs. It was Turner’s first multi-home run game of the season and 20th of his career. 

“Trea’s our guy,” interim manager Don Mattingly said postgame about his shortstop. 

“He works everyday. It’s not like Trea’s out there and doesn’t care about defense. He’s working every day, so we ride with Trea.” 

Turner was only charged with one error to his ledger although it could easily have been three. Nonetheless, it was his third error in the last four games and his 15th of the season, seven more than he had all of last year. 

The Phillies need their $300-million shortstop to be their guy, even if the bad defense comes as part of the package this season. Since June 17, he’s hitting .324 with a .943 OPS. He’s looking to put a rough first half behind him. 

In the first inning, he booted a routine ground ball off the bat of Mookie Betts which would have ended the inning. Instead, it forced Cristopher Sánchez, who picked up his 12th win of the season allowing three earned runs with seven strikeouts, to work a little more in the opening frame. 

After he swapped his turquoise colored glove for his batting gloves and tan bat, he wrapped a first-pitch double into left field off Dodgers’ starter Emmet Sheehan. 

He followed that by crushing a hanging slider into the left field seats for a two-run shot, his 13th of the season, giving the Phillies a 4-0 lead in the second inning after Gabriel Rincones Jr. doubled in the game’s first run and Justin Crawford followed with a sacrifice fly. 

In the fourth, Alex Call hit a two hopper to Turner’s left that the shortstop was unable to corral, hitting the tip of his glove and ruled a single. 

Two innings later, Andy Pages hit a high bouncer over the mound. Turner came in charging across the diamond, but couldn’t handle the in-between hop, bobbling the baseball which kicked away from him, allowing a run to score shrinking the Phillies lead to 4-3.

“You gotta put it behind you. He’s not bothered by what people would say,” Mattingly said. “He wants to make plays, He wants to win and he wants to get better and he knows he’s better than that.” 

Turner did put it behind him.

 After Brandon Marsh clubbed a solo shot to get the inning started, Turner snuck a line drive inside the left field foul pole for a three-run shot giving his team breathing room, making it 8-3 in the sixth.  It was his second homer of the night and his 200th career long ball. 

“I don’t think anyone thought in my career I’d hit 200 homers,” Turner said. “I think it’s kind of cool from an evolution standpoint from where I was when I was younger and what kind of hitter I was to doing it at the highest level. So, that’s pretty cool.”

The night could have been a rough one for Turner if that first inning error was an early omen on what was to come. However, the veteran pushed through and persevered.

Without him, the Phillies wouldn't have started the series off with a victory. 

“When Trea goes, we go,” Mattingly said.