PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies will need to beat elite pitching again and again in October if they want to win the World Series.
They haven’t beaten enough the past few years.
They got reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes twice this year, including Wednesday night’s 10-6 victory over the Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. Skenes allowed a career-high eight runs in four innings, allowing home runs to Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh. Skenes allowed a previous high five runs in four career starts before Wednesday, including May 17 against the Phillies in Pittsburgh.
“I think we’ve got a good team,” Turner said, offering an explanation for the Phillies thumping Skenes twice. “Sometimes there’s no explanation, but I think we’ve got a good lineup.”
Skenes’ defense played poorly on Wednesday, but the Phillies capitalized on every mistake.
Good hitting teams do that.
“Our club’s not really afraid of anybody,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. “So it doesn’t matter who the guy is.”
Are the Phillies a good hitting team? Past postseason shortcomings still haunt Phillies fans, of course. The Phils ranked 28th in baseball, averaging 3.64 runs per game during a 9-19 start that got Rob Thomson dismissed on April 28. But there has been improvement. The offense has ranked ninth in baseball under Mattingly, averaging 4.84 runs per game. It ranked second in baseball in June, averaging 5.67 runs per game.
“We always thought we were capable of it,” Turner said., “We need to show it, but it's been an extended period of time now, where we've been putting up a lot more runs. We’re a lot more dangerous. It feels more than just Kyle [Schwarber], Bryce [Harper] and [Brandon] Marsh kind of doing everything. You know? It’s nice to have the other six guys contributing in the lineup.”
The Phillies had four players hit .300 or better in June (minimum 75 plate appearances): Marsh (.315), Justin Crawford (.307), Bryce Harper (.305) and Kyle Schwarber (.305).
Bryson Stott hit .287.
Turner hit .269. But he has homered in three consecutive games. He is batting .350 (21-for-60) with four doubles, three home runs, 10 RBIs and a .948 OPS in his last 14 games.
He hit .216 with a .595 OPS in 71 games through June 15.
Turner’s recent resurgence is a potentially significant development for the Phillies’ offense and future as their right-handed hitters have drastically underperformed this season, ranking last in baseball with a .614 OPS.
If Turner is back to form, it won’t rid the Phillies of their need for more right-handed thump in the outfield, but it might make them less desperate. Because the Phillies have other needs, too. They need pitching, like every team.
They could use rotation and bullpen help.
“I’m not missing mistakes,” Turner said about his recent success. “I feel like I’m getting into some better counts. I feel like I’m driving offspeed pitches a little better. And then just using the whole field really. I just feel good again.”
Overall, Turner’s numbers don’t look great. He’s got a .239 batting average. He’s got a .655 OPS. But a strong finish could erase any bad feelings and frustrations from the first few months of the season.
It’s how you finish.
“They’re not going to look good, probably no matter what I do for a while,” he said. “You know, I know how good I am and how good I can be. I think focusing on the last three weeks, and kind of get those tools back -- two-strike hitting and scoring runs. I feel like I’ve scored runs at a really good clip, obviously, because the guys behind me are playing so well. But that's my job to score runs.
“So I feel like the last three weeks have been really good. Try to focus on that, and focus on some good progress, and keep rolling and see where they end up at the end of the year.”