The Phillies had a six-game homestand against the Nationals and Diamondbacks this past week, going 4-2. Some key members of the offense are finally heating up.
Trea Turner Heats Up
To start the week, Trea Turner went 4/4 in game one of the Nationals series, followed up by a 3/4 day at the plate in the series finale. Offensively, he had a great week, even seeing his batting average climb over .300 after his great series against the Nationals. Turner went 4/14 against the Diamondbacks so his average currently sits at .297, which is still considerably better than hitting .260, which he was before the week. While I would like to see some more power from Turner, it’s a good sign he’s putting the ball in play. I don’t mind a lack of power from Turner as long as that results in more hits.
While Turner has been great at the plate, there have been some miscues in the field at shortstop. While it’s still early in the year, the plays that Turner has mishandled could play a major factor come September and October. I’ve always been curious about the idea of moving Turner to second base and then taking Bryson Stott and moving him to shortstop. Stott is a true SS and has played the position before at the major league level. Moving Turner to second base would be an adjustment for him, but I think it’s one he could handle. It’s something the Phillies should discuss if Turner keeps having blunders at shortstop.
The Return of Ranger
The Phillies hosted the Diamondbacks in the second half of their six-game homestand this past weekend. After winning games one and two of the series, the Phillies were set up to go for the sweep on Sunday. Sunday was also the return of Ranger Suarez, who started the season on the IL due to a back injury. The Phillies hoped that getting Suarez back would help not just the rotation, but the bullpen as well, since Taijuan Walker will now pitch out of the bullpen. I have to give my flowers to Walker for pitching well in the fill-in role he had. Walker made five starts and had a 2.54 ERA, along with 22 strikeouts in 28.1 innings pitched. Seeing Walker bounce back from the year he had last year is a great sign, and hopefully, he can pitch well out of the bullpen.
Ranger Suarez was set to return and pitched Sunday in the rain against a very good Diamondbacks lineup. Suarez’s 2025 season debut was one to forget after only going 3.2 innings and giving up seven runs on seven hits. It was a tough first outing for Ranger Suarez, but I’m not alarmed for the rest of the season. It’s his first start of the year, and battling with rain is never fun. The one bright side of the outing was Suarez racking up six strikeouts in those innings he did pitch, which is a good sign he can still miss bats.
Ranger Suarez will make his second start of the season this week against the Cleveland Guardian, so let’s hope his second outing is a little bit better than his first. Once Suarez gets a few starts under his belt, I expect him to be a key part of this rotation and the success they have.
Upcoming Week
The Phillies now hit the road for a six-game trip that will start Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. After Tampa Bay then they head to Cleveland for a three-game series against the Guardians. If the Phillies can once again take 2/3 from both teams, I would call the week a success. I would love to see Trea Turner stay hot while some of the other bats begin to heat up as well. I need a big week from Bryce Harper on the road so he can get that average back up to .270 and start mashing baseballs when the team returns home.
My prediction for the week: Phillies go 4-2 thanks to the bats of Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm. Ranger Suarez bounces back strong in his second start of the season.
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