Trea Turner and the Philadelphia Phillies are riding high as they visit Cleveland for a three-game series against the Guardians, beginning Friday night.
Turner singled home Brandon Marsh with the decisive run in the 10th inning Thursday, allowing Philadelphia to complete a huge comeback and beat the host Tampa Bay Rays 7-6.
Marsh led off the frame with a first-pitch double that plated automatic runner Edmundo Sosa as the Phillies rallied from a 5-1 deficit with six unanswered runs in the eighth, ninth and 10th. It was Philadelphia’s second series sweep of the season and gave the team a 9-2 mark since April 26.
“Man, that was crazy,” Marsh told NBC Sports Philadelphia. “It took all of us tonight, a full-team effort, and that’s what it’s all about. I’m just having some fun out there.”
Turner went 2-for-5 in the finale in Tampa, one day after collecting two hits, two runs and two RBIs against the Rays. The Wednesday contest included his first homer since April 9, highlighting a 17-game span that has seen him bat .397 (29-for-73) with 10 RBIs.
“I feel like my two-strike hitting has been good,” said Turner, who is hitting .310 on the year. “I’m hitting the ball the other way pretty good. I just need to start pulling it in the air, so it was nice to see that happen. I’ve been working on that quite a bit in the cage.”
The Guardians cleared their first big hurdle of the season, going 14-8 in a 23-day span that ended Wednesday with an 8-6 road victory over the Washington Nationals. Their reward was a day off upon returning home.
“It was a long stretch, and a lot of us are pretty worn out,” said Daniel Schneeman, who has scored eight runs in the past six games. “But we’ve got a lot of confidence coming home against Philly.”
The Guardians won two of three in Toronto last weekend, then duplicated the feat in Washington to move above .500 on the road at 11-10. They had an eight-run sixth inning in the series finale and a six-run seventh in the first game of a doubleheader on Tuesday.
“I’m really proud of our guys because it wasn’t the prettiest baseball, but we found ways to win,” reigning AL Manager of the Year Stephen Vogt said. “We want to find a way that we can become the team we want to be consistently, but I couldn’t be more proud of us getting the results we are and coming up big when we need to.”
Carlos Santana had the big blow in the most recent win, a three-run double. The 39-year-old first baseman started very slowly in his third career stint with Cleveland, but he has batted .308 with two homers and nine RBIs over his past six games to raise his average to .234.
“Carlos had a great road trip,” Vogt said. “We’re seeing the ‘Los that has 16 years in the big leagues.”
Right-hander Gavin Williams (2-2, 5.06 ERA) will pitch the series opener for Cleveland, which has won seven of its last nine games. Williams made his only start against the Phillies two years ago, taking a no-decision after allowing one run in four innings.
Philadelphia will counter with right-hander Aaron Nola (1-5, 4.61 ERA). He has given up a team-high 22 runs in seven starts, but he went six scoreless innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday for his initial victory. He has faced the Guardians once, a no-decision in 2023 when he yielded three runs in seven innings.
–Field Level Media
