Trea

Turner

No explanation given, so we’re assuming it’s just a rest day after playing both ends of a doubleheader on Thursday. Edmundo Sosa is batting fifth and playing shortstop in Turner’s absence.

Turner opened the home half of the first inning with a bang, launching the first pitch thrown by Adrian Houser for a 373-foot (102.3 mph EV) solo shot. He also singled in the fifth inning and scored on a two-run single by Adolis Garcia. The dynamic 32-year-old shortstop is off to a bit of a slow start at the dish this season, slashing .252/.317/.386 with four homers, 11 RBI and three stolen bases in his first 139 plate appearances.

Turner is now riding a four-game hitting streak. The 32-year-old shortstop is off to a slow start, but it’s important to remember that it’s early in the season. With four hits Tuesday, Turner improved his batting average from .230 to .254. He won’t be able to do that come August.

Turner sent his third homer of the season 394 feet into the stands to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning. It was the third homer of the season for Turner, who has struggled at the plate this first month of the season. The veteran shortstop is slashing a paltry .190/.288/.362 in his last 15 games and hasn’t recorded a multi-hit game since April 12th. We would expect him to get out of this slump sooner or later, but Turner is becoming increasingly harder to trust while he irons things out.

Turner’s first-inning homer was the only offense Philadelphia was able to muster against Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga for six innings to open the contest. The 32-year-old veteran shortstop is off to a bit of a slow start, hitting .260 (19-for-73) with two homers, seven RBI and one steal through 18 games.

Turner connected on an opposite-field 359-foot (97.5 mph EV) two-run shot off of Zac Gallen that tied the score at 2-2 in the sixth inning. He also singled in the ballgame. The 32-year-old shortstop is off to a bit of a slow start by his standards, hitting just .254/.299/.365 with one homer, five RBI and one stolen base through his first 15 games.

Turner’s RBI was a big one, as it drove in Brandon Marsh to break a 1-1 tie in what turned out to be the game winner. The 32-year-old also drew a walk to improve his slash to .294/.351/.382. The only reason that line is unrealistic is that slugging mark is sure to go up in the summer months.

Turner, who had been 0-for-6 this spring, was removed for a pinch-runner after singling in the fourth. He’ll be sticking around Phillies camp next month after going uninvited to rejoin Team USA for the WBC. He was one of the stars of the tournament last time around, going 9-for-23 with five homers in six games, but Bobby Witt Jr. got the nod over him this time and the club probably didn’t want to carry two shortstops who couldn’t be asked to play other positions.

Turner returns as Philadelphia’s top-of-the-order table-setter to kick off the postseason after missing a significant portion of September recovering from a hamstring strain. The 32-year-old power/speed combo fantasy star played five innings during last Sunday’s regular-season finale. Here’s the full lineup that will square off against Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani in his first career postseason start at Citizens Bank Park: Turner (SS), Kyle Schwarber (DH), Bryce Harper (1B), Alec Bohm (3B), Brandon Marsh (LF), J.T. Realmuto (C), Max Kepler (RF), Harrison Bader (CF) and Bryson Stott (2B).

No setback for Turner today, as he was expected to play about half of the game in his return from a hamstring strain. With the 0-for-2, he wins the NL batting crown at .304 for the season. Incredibly, it’s the first batting title for a Phillies player since Richie Ashburn won it in 1958. Turner was the only National Leaguer to bat .300. Nico Hoerner finished second at .297.