Getting back in the groove | Sports Daily Newsletter
Trea Turner is starting to feel “locked in.”
Trea Turner collected 100 RBIs and batted .298 with the Dodgers last season, but he says he never got into a zone, never had a consistently good run.
“I didn’t feel good last year,” Turner says he told hitting coach Kevin Long. “I didn’t feel locked in. I haven’t felt locked in since 2021.”
Truth be told, the Phillies’ $300 million shortstop was not exactly locked in for his first two months here, either. That might be changing. Long worked with Turner from 2018-21 with the Washington Nationals, and the two have made “a very minute change” that is starting to pay benefits.
In short, Long instructed Turner to use his hips more and get lower to the ground. “I felt better,” Turner says. “Finally.”
The numbers back him up. Entering Monday’s game in Arizona, Turner had hit .344 since June 3. After a horrible start to the season, his batting average was up to .248.
“I feel like there is a mindset change that comes with it, too,” Turner says. “It’s a confidence. It’s, ‘Oh, I just missed that one,’ instead of, ‘Damn, that happened again.’ And I think that’s something I’ve been looking for.”
— Jim Swan, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
Hung over from their 2022 World Series run, undirected in the absence of injured team captain Rhys Hoskins, and desperate to validate their Red October and justify their lavish contracts, Phillies regulars, with few exceptions, had underachieved. Their $244 million payroll, about the same as last season, is the fourth-highest in baseball for the second straight season, but last season they won the NL pennant. “There’s a lot of very established players in this clubhouse. Guys with big contracts. Big deals. Been in the big leagues for nine or 10 years,” said catcher J.T. Realmuto. “Everybody in here works as hard as we ever have.” The work is paying off, and just in time. They’re playing their best baseball as they face perhaps their biggest series of the season: four games in Arizona. The Diamondbacks went into Monday with 40 wins, tied with the Braves for most in the NL, but they present a unique challenge.
The Diamondbacks were faced with a historic baseball feat as J.T. Realmuto hit for the cycle, but the team still prevailed against the Phillies.
Next: The Phillies continue their series in Arizona at 9:40 p.m. Tuesday (NBCSP). Zack Wheeler (4-4, 3.91 ERA) will start against Diamondbacks right-hander Zach Davies (1-1, 4.68).
The Flyers’ brass has harped that they need to add more high-end skill and speed to adapt to the modern game. U.S. National Team Development Program star Oliver Moore would certainly check the speed box.
Olivia Reiner talked to Flo Hockey’s Chris Peters about the best skater in the 2023 class and why he could potentially be a fit for the Flyers at No. 7 overall.
Speaking of the Flyers’ front office, another change — and a surprising one — came down Monday.
It will be “Welcome to Chester” for Wrexham AFC this summer, as the Welsh club will play at Subaru Park on July 28.
Wrexham, of FX series Welcome to Wrexham fame, is owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and will take on the Union’s reserves in an offseason friendly. The game will be a homecoming for McElhenney, who was born in Philadelphia and attended St. Joseph’s Prep before going on to star in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”
The countdown to Eagles training camp has begun, with players slated to report on July 25 at the NovaCare Complex. Today at 10 a.m., single-game tickets for Eagles home games will go on sale at Ticketmaster.com.
Tickets for the Eagles’ public training camp practice at the Linc, scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m., also will go on sale Tuesday at 10 a.m.
Worth a look
Life after football: A concussion ended Justin Johnson’s career. Now he helps student-athletes.
State semifinals: Father Judge takes on North Penn in the PIAA baseball tournament on Tuesday.
New sportsbook in town: Fanatics brings its own spin to the sports betting game.
🧠 Trivia time 🧠
Kyle Schwarber led the National League in home runs last season with 46. Who was the last Phillie before him to lead the NL in homers? First with the correct response here will be featured in the newsletter.
A) Jim Thome
B) Ryan Howard
C) Mike Schmidt
D) Dick Allen
What you’re saying about the Phillies
We asked: When do you think the Phils will pass the .500 mark this summer? Among your responses:
After Tuesday’s game, the Phillies will be over .500, but in familiar fashion they’ll then lose the last two of the series to fall back under .500 in a split with the Diamondbacks. BUT, then they’ll sweep the A’s in Oakland and bring a 37-35 record back home to start the homestand against Atlanta. — Matt K.
I look for the Phillies to split their 4 games with Arizona, and then sweep the 3 games in Oakland. This would get them over the .500 mark, and they should be able to stay there with Atlanta and the Mets each coming in for a 3-game series the following week. — Bill R.
On June 16 against the A’s, the Phillies will reach .500 for the first time since May 14. This is hoping for a 2-2 record against the Diamondbacks. The A’s series will hopefully propel the Phillies over .500. The Phils have won 7 of 8 and 3 straight Series wins. The starting pitching has been better and the bats have awakened. Let’s get in the groove and start being more consistent. — John W.
I’m predicting by this coming weekend the Phils will make the .500 mark. Except for this past Saturday, the hitting has been a little more consistent. Nola needs to get his act together and the defense needs to be more consistent. Looking forward to a fun summer of Phillies baseball and the run to the playoffs. — Tom G.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Marcus Hayes, Alex Coffey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Aaron Carter, Olivia Reiner, Jeff Neiburg, and Isabella DiAmore.