Phillies news and rumors 5/18: Trea Turner talks Phillies, individual struggles

Trea Turner is in the first year of an 11-year contract with the Phillies. (Cheryl Pursell/Phillies Nation)

The Phillies can’t get out of California fast enough.

They’ve dropped their last seven games in the state if you include last year’s Game 2 loss against the Padres in the National League Championship Series.

They began the latest roadtrip with two straight wins at Coors Field and dropped the finale in Colorado and all three in San Francisco against the Giants.

There’s a lot of blame to go around, but the poster boy for the Phillies’ struggles on offense is Trea Turner. Reporters, including MLB.com‘s Todd Zolecki, asked Turner about the team’s inconsistencies through 43 games.

“It’s a million things. You can point at individual play or offense or defense or whatever it is. But at the end of the day, you’ve just got to find ways to win games and be more consistent. We have the talent. We have the mentality. It’s just a matter of actually doing it. Stop talking about it and start doing it. I feel like we’ve been talking, talking, talking, the first 40 games. It’s time to play better.”

Trea Turner on the Phillies’ struggles via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

It’s been a tough year so far for Turner. He’s striking out 26.7% of the time, has a .689 OPS against left-handed pitching and is batting .162 with runners in scoring position. At the heart of his struggles is an uptick in his swing rate on pitches out of the zone (36.4% in 2022 vs. 40.8% in 2023). It should be noted that his 36.4% O-Swing rate in 2022 was a dramatic increase relative to 2019-2021, where he hovered around 30%.

“I know I’m a good player, but it’s things I’ve been good at in the past I’m not doing well. Two-strike hitting. I’m striking out way too much. It’s little things. It’s more annoying than anything for me individually.”

Turner on his individual struggles via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

The good news is that the next three games in California are in June against the Oakland Athletics. If they drop three straight at the Coliseum, it’s officially time to sound the alarm.

Must-Read (Or Watch) Phillies Content

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Our own Bailey Digh breaks down the lack of production in the No. 1 and 2 spots in the latest 3 Numbers to Remember

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Our resident uniform connoisseur Tim Kelly writes on why the Phillies went a few weeks without wearing the red uniform tops.
Here’s a photo of Rhys Hoskins with a beard.

Former Phillies Watch

The Red Sox moved Nick Pivetta to the bullpen. “You’re not putting him in the witness protection program,” Chaim Bloom told reporters, including Chad Jennings of The Athletic. “You’re putting him out there to leverage him and help you win.”