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Aug 27, 2023

Philadelphia Phillies trounce Washington Nationals

WASHINGTON — In the fourth inning Saturday, and again in the sixth, Trea Turner struck out, the latter on a curveball off the plate and with a runner in scoring position. Then, he made a throwing

WASHINGTON — In the fourth inning Saturday, and again in the sixth, Trea Turner struck out, the latter on a curveball off the plate and with a runner in scoring position. Then, he made a throwing error that led to a run.

Another crummy game for the star shortstop?

It sure looked that way. But Nick Castellanos defibrillated the Phillies with a game-tying three-run homer in the seventh inning before Turner bookended an eight-run eighth by taking Nationals reliever Cory Abbott deep — twice.

And suddenly, Turner’s nightmare turned into a knee-slapper in a 12-3 romp at sold-out Nationals Park.

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“Never hit two homers in an inning,” said Turner, typically stoic as he rounds the bases but unable to conceal a smile the second time around. “I’m usually the guy that makes two outs in those innings. There’s always one of those guys. It feels like it’s usually me.”

What a reversal of fortune for the Phillies. In a way, it mirrored Turner’s season.

The Phillies didn’t have a hit until the fourth inning. They didn’t have an extra-base hit through six against 26-year-old rookie righty Jake Irvin. It looked like they were headed to their fifth loss in six games, including two in a row against the improving — but still bottom-dwelling — Nationals.

But Castellanos’ dinger, with two out in the seventh inning on a knee-high sinker that reliever Andrés Machado left out over the plate, electrified the dugout in a way that seemed palpable to manager Rob Thomson and several players.

“It was just huge,” Thomson said. “It just electrified the bench. It’s what we needed. We needed that energy. Everyone was kind of down, you know?”

As starter Cristopher Sánchez put it, through a team interpreter: “Everyone woke up.”

It also started a barrage. The Phillies sent 11 batters to the plate in the eighth inning. They clubbed four more homers — Turner, Bryson Stott, Turner again, and Jake Cave — and emptied the bench in the ninth inning like it was a February exhibition in Clearwater.

And it created enough momentum to propel the team plane to Williamsport, where the Phillies and Nationals will wrap up their series Sunday night in the MLB Little League Classic.

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“I’m excited to slide down a hill and hang out with some kids and see a bunch of happy, smiling faces,” Castellanos said. “Just kind of remember what baseball’s supposed to be, just a carefree game, you know?”

Turner made the Phillies’ dugout beam, becoming the third player in franchise history to homer twice in one inning. But neither Von Hayes (June 11, 1985 in a 26-7 thumping of the Mets) nor Andy Seminick (June 2, 1949 in a 12-3 victory over the Reds) did it against the same pitcher.

So, when Turner punched Abbott’s ticket twice, his teammates paid extra notice.

“Me and Kyle [Schwarber] looked at each other and were like, ‘Man, he booked the same guy twice in the same inning,’” Castellanos said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. It’s my 10th year, and I’m still seeing stuff for the first time.”

Two innings earlier, Turner’s dirt-diving throw to first enabled Joey Meneses to reach base. Meneses scored three batters later on an RBI single to give the Nationals a 3-0 lead.

It was the continuation of a rough week on the road for Turner after he came alive on the recent 10-game homestand. The first four months of his first season with the Phillies have been largely forgettable, with numbers that fell far short of the career norms that landed him an 11-year, $300 million contract in free agency.

But Turner said he has changed his routine in the batting cage to help him make better in-game adjustments at the plate. He led off the eighth inning, got a belt-high fastball from Abbott, and didn’t miss, launching it into the left-field stands at Nationals Park, where he established himself as a game-changer early in his career.

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“You get a couple bad pitches and a call doesn’t go your way, you get frustrated, make an error,” Turner said. “It just seemed like a lot not going in my direction, in our direction. You want to help the team, but those plays end up being pretty big to that point.

“That’s why you keep your head up, keep going. You don’t know what pitch is going to be the difference-maker. It just felt good to not miss pitches and not chase. A lot more comfortable in my last two at-bats.”

It sure looked like it. And it helped the Phillies changed everything.

Sánchez will remain in the rotation for at least the next two weeks after lefty Ranger Suárez went on the injured list with a strained right hamstring.

And yet again, Sánchez kept the Phillies close.

Despite not having his best changeup or being aided by Turner, Sánchez allowed three runs (two earned) in six innings, another example of the stability that he has provided in the fifth spot in the rotation since getting called up from triple A in June.