Phillies Insider: Answer to Offensive Woes Could be Trea Turner Leading Off Permanently
It's been a rough patch for the Philadelphia Phillies lately, including getting swept by the Pirates and dropping nine of their last 10 games. Making issues worse has been the absence of Bryce Harper, with the team hitting just .198 without him. The offense has struggled to score runs, tallying two or fewer in four of their last five games.
Advertisement
As Phillies insider Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer recently noted on Sportsnaut's MLB podcast, Big League Buzz, the offense is struggling and one move could spark its dormant offense.
📺 WATCH Our Interview with Scott Lauber on Phillies Struggles
The Lineup Adjustment That Could Spark the Phillies' Turnaround?
Aug 8, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) hits an RBI double during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
One potential tweak discussed to kick-start the Phillies' offense and perhaps ignite the top of the order is moving Trea Turner to the leadoff spot permanently.
'I think moving Turner to the leadoff spot is probably the easiest thing to do,' Lauber told me on Big League Buzz, talking about the Phillies' struggles at the plate. 'He bats lead off against lefties, that's kind of been the way they've gone throughout the year.'
Advertisement
Lauber noted that Bryson Stott has been batting leadoff 70 percent of the time, but Stott continues to struggle with getting on base. Moving Turner permanently to the top of the order makes sense to the veteran beat writer.
'Maybe he becomes the leadoff guy against everybody at least for a little while here,' Lauber said. 'And maybe that sparks things at the top of the order a little bit.'
In the Phillies' 4-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Monday, Turner was batting leadoff (starter Matthew Boyd is a left-hander) and finished the game 1-for-4.
Related: Five bullpen arms Philadelphia Phillies should target to replace suspended Jose Alvarado
No Simple Answers and It Is Only June
Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Despite the dour state of the Phillies' offense without Harper, Lauber pointed out the team's strength — it's pitching staff — still makes Philadelphia a major player in the NL and the NL East.
Advertisement
'It's still only the beginning of June,' Lauber stressed. 'You're not going to see a major shake kind of move on June 9th. There's a long way between now and July 31st.'
Related Headlines
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
8 minutes ago
- New York Post
Mets win consecutive games for first time in weeks as offense busts out in Little League Classic
Access the Mets beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets. Try it free WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — For the first time in three weeks, the Mets have won back-to-back games. All it took was a trip to the Little League World Series, an offensive outburst against Seattle's George Kirby and a solid start from Clay Holmes. Advertisement Losers of 14 of 17 heading into the game, the Mets remained a game ahead of Cincinnati for the third and final NL wild-card spot with the 7-3 victory at the Little League Classic at Bowman Field, capped by Mark Vientos' three-run, opposite-field homer in the fifth. Francisco Lindor had another multihit game with three more hits, and Francisco Alvarez had three hits before he was forced from the game after an apparent right wrist injury in the seventh. 6 Francisco Lindor reacts after hitting an RBI double during the Mets' Aug. 17 win against the Mariners. Robert Sabo for the NY Post 6 Mark Vientos rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the Mets' Aug. 17 win. Robert Sabo for the NY Post Advertisement That was the lone negative for the Mets. Holmes had completed four innings just once in his previous three starts and was coming off his worst outing of the season. But in his return to the ballpark where he blew another game on his way to losing his closing job with the Yankees last year, the right-hander rebounded. Advertisement His night got off to a shaky start when Holmes drilled Randy Arozarena with a 92 mph sinker with his first pitch of the game Sunday. He recovered to whiff the majors' home run leader, Cal Raleigh, then got Julio Rodríguez to hit into an inning-ending double play. Lindor, who had a fifth-straight multihit game, opened the bottom of the inning with a base hit to right but was picked off first. Advertisement The Mets took the lead with a three-run second with four straight hits to open the inning. It started with singles by Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil before Alvarez followed with an RBI double to left-center that Rodríguez couldn't corral, scoring Alonso. 6 Mark Vientos celebrates after hitting a home run during the Mets' Aug. 17 win. Robert Sabo for the NY Post 6 Cal Raleigh hits a home run during the Mariners' Aug. 17 loss to the Mets. Robert Sabo for the NY Post With the infield drawn in, Brett Baty smoked a single to center to drive in the second run of the inning. A Vientos sacrifice fly made it 3-0 against Kirby, who'd allowed just two earned runs over 19 innings in his previous three starts. The Mariners got to Holmes and the Mets in the fourth thanks to another mistake by Lindor. CHECK OUT THE LATEST MLB STANDINGS AND METS STATS Advertisement After Rodríguez began the inning with a double, Holmes got Josh Naylor looking, and a Eugenio Suárez groundout moved Rodríguez to third. Jorge Polanco hit a soft liner up the middle, and Lindor, shaded that way, appeared to be in position to make an easy play, but he misjudged his leap and the ball went into center for a questionable run-scoring single to cut the Mets lead to 3-1. Dominic Canzone's single put runners on the corners, and J.P. Crawford walked to load the bases for Cole Young, who popped out to short to end the 31-pitch inning. 6 Clay Holmes throws a pitch during the Mets' Aug. 17 win against the Mariners. Robert Sabo for the NY Post Advertisement 6 The Mets and Mariners participated in the Little League Classic on Sunday. Robert Sabo for the NY Post Kirby's night ended in the fifth, his second-shortest outing of the season, when the Mets tacked on four more runs. Vientos, who'd snapped a 1-for-11 rut with a sacrifice fly and a single, hit a three-run, two-out homer. Cedric Mullins, also slumping, doubled and scored when Lindor doubled to make it 7-1 to knock Kirby out of the game. Advertisement By that time, the Mets had a dozen hits. Delivering insights on all things Amazin's Sign up for Inside the Mets by Mike Puma, exclusively on Sports+ Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters The Mariners didn't go down quietly, as Raleigh hit his 47th homer — a two-run shot off Reed Garrett — in the seventh. But the Mets held on to win after not having won consecutive games since their seven-game winning streak ended on July 27.
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Three Up, Three Down: Drivers in focus leaving Richmond
With a weekend that had plenty of old-school feel to it, Austin Dillon was the one who shined the brightest in a short-track showdown under the lights. The Richard Childress Racing driver guided the iconic No. 3 ride to Victory Lane at Richmond Raceway with ease after leading 107 laps and earning redemption to return to Cup Series Playoffs. RELATED: | With one race left in the regular season, let's take a look at three drivers moving in the right direction and three drivers on their back foot before another Saturday night's thriller at Daytona International Speedway (7:30 ET, NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Peacock). THREE UP ⬆️ 1. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford Started: 20th Finished: 3rd What happened: Overall, it was a banner day for Team Penske with the 2023 Cup Series champ carrying the flag, scoring his first top-five finish at Richmond. Blaney was a force all evening, scoring points in both stages and coming alive in the second half of the race to challenge Dillon for the win. In the end, he couldn't make up the gap to catch Dillon in the final stint, settling for his ninth top five of the season. What's next: Blaney has proven to be a master on drafting tracks, and he does have a summer win at Daytona from 2021. With how much pace the whole organization is showing right now, Penske is peaking at the right time before the playoffs and Blaney has a chance to end the regular season on a six-race top-10 streak. 2. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford Started: 38th Finished: 4th What happened: The defending champ had a mountain to climb before the green flag dropped, with a tire failure in practice sending him into the wall and not setting a lap in qualifying. He admitted it was a frustrating night post-race, but Logano kept his head down and didn't waste any time as he charged up to fourth by midway through Stage 2. His speed held true once the checkered flag flew, which resulted in his fifth top 10 at Richmond over the last six races there. What's next: With a season that's now only produced seven top-10 finishes through 25 races, this was the perfect tone-setting weekend for Logano and Co. to execute through adversity and build momentum before the playoffs picking up their first top five since Nashville, and we know how dangerous it is to give the No. 22 crew momentum at this point of the year. 3. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Started: 27th Finished: 14th What happened: Van Gisbergen chipped away at spots all night and slowly got more comfortable as the race went on. Plus, the Kiwi stayed clean once chaos did strike in the middle portions of the race. The result ties his best finish on ovals since the Coca-Cola 600 and his sixth top 20 at such tracks. What's next: With the second-most playoff points already in hand, this solid run at Richmond gives a shot in the arm to van Gisbergen as he continues to progress on ovals. The momentum should boost his confidence for the postseason, where every lap of experience matters and each clean finish could mean the difference in advancing. THREE DOWN ⬇️ 1. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Started: 1st Finished: 35th What happened: RFK Racing had a dismal day after showing blazing speed on Friday, highlighted no more clearly than by pole-sitter Preece. Preece appeared to have the car early to sail into his first career Cup Series win and lock into the playoffs. Instead the No. 60 team opted for a different strategy and saved fresher tires for later in the race. The gamble didn't pay off as Preece faded throughout the 400-lapper before being plagued by brake issues. What's next: Some good news is that the Fords show speed at drafting tracks and Preece has had great qualifying efforts two out of his last three visits to Daytona. It's going to take a mighty effort in close-quarter racing next Saturday for the Connecticut wheelman to keep his playoff hopes alive. 2. Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford Started: 12th Finished: 30th What happened: Buescher never found the pace to contend and leaned on an alternate strategy to try and gain track position. The move didn't stick, and he steadily slipped back from the top 15 during the race. What's next: He came in as the last driver clinging to the playoff bubble, but Austin Dillon's win pushes him below the elimination line, a full 60 points back of Alex Bowman for the provisional final spot in the 16-driver postseason grid. That effectively leaves Daytona as a must-win with his postseason hopes against the wall. 3. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota Started: 2nd Finished: 34th What happened: Reddick flexed early on, winning the opening stage and leading 41 laps at a track where he only has two top 10s. Unfortunately, contact from the lapped car of Ty Gibbs cost the No. 45 driver a chance to remain upfront and vie for his first win of the season as Reddick spun and never recovered. What's next: His points cushion to the playoff elimination line is still solid, and though he didn't clinch a spot with a race to spare, Reddick just needs to avoid calamity in the final tilt of the regular season and focus on getting off to a strong start in the Cup Series Playoffs.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Seattle Mariners odds, tips and betting trends
On Monday, a series opener is on the schedule, with the Philadelphia Phillies (71-53) hosting the Seattle Mariners (68-56) at 6:45 p.m. ET. Oddsmakers project the Phillies as a close favorite (-110 moneyline odds) against the Mariners (-109). The Phillies will start Ranger Suarez (8-6) versus the Mariners and Logan Gilbert (3-4). The Phillies knocked off the Nationals by an 11-9 score in their last game yesterday. Alec Bohm went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs to lead them offensively while Tanner Banks got the win after throwing 1 2/3 innings without giving up an earned run on one hit, while striking out two. The Mariners fell to the Mets 3-1 Saturday. Cal Raleigh led the way offensively after going 2 for 2 in the defeat, while Bryan Woo took the loss on the mound, pitching six innings, giving up one earned run on six hits while striking out eight. Prepare for the Phillies vs. Mariners with everything you need to know before Monday's game, including viewing options. Philadelphia Phillies vs. Seattle Mariners odds, line and spread MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Sunday at 9:16 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Phillies vs. Mariners: Game time and live stream info Watch Phillies vs. Mariners on Fubo! Phillies stats and trends Mariners stats and trends Watch the MLB on Fubo!
