Phillies can’t complete comeback, miss chance to sweep Astros in World Series rematch

HOUSTON — In the seventh inning on Sunday, Trea Turner was presented with an opportunity. The Phillies were down by two runs. There were two outs, with runners on first and second. He swung at the first pitch, a four-seam fastball at the top of the zone. He missed. He swung at the second pitch, a four-seam fastball in the upper right corner. He missed. He swung at the third pitch, a four-seam fastball outside of the zone, and he missed. So much for that threat.

The Phillies would get only one more opportunity to score — in the eighth inning— in a 4-3 loss to the Astros, as the Phillies failed to pull off a three-game road sweep against the team that beat them in the World Series last year.

For Turner, it was more of the same. The Phillies’ $300 million man has hit .197/.246/.328 over his last 15 games. He’s hit .143/.143/.250 over his last seven. He was 1-for-4 Sunday, with a single to left in the fourth inning.

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Dave Dombrowski signed Turner for myriad of reasons, but one of them was consistency. He is a career .300 hitter. Manager Rob Thomson talked to Turner on Saturday night. He asked his shortstop if he’d like to take a day off. Turner said he preferred to work his way out of it.

“Unless I’m hurting physically, I don’t think there’s an excuse to not play, because I’m not playing well,” Turner said. “That’s how I feel. But I’ve told my managers in the past, and I told Rob this the other day, I’ve never asked for an off day so you’ve got to bench me. So if he thinks I stink and he wants to bench me, that’s on him. But for me, if I physically can play, I’m playing.”

Historically, Turner is not a slow starter. He has a higher career OPS in March and April (.795) than he does in May (.765). He hit five home runs in the World Baseball Classic over six games in March, prompting some fans to wonder if that performance would carry into the regular season. It has not, and there’s no obvious reason why.

Thomson said after Sunday’s game that he noticed Turner’s timing was off, and Turner agreed. But after a few days of feeling his swing wasn’t right, he feels he is improving in that area, which he sees as a reason for optimism.

“Just timing is not good,” Turner said. “I thought the swing the last two days has been better, but haven’t been able to take what I’ve been working on in the cage into the game. Pitch recognition and controlling the zone and all that still isn’t there, but I feel like the swing is getting there. So that’s a positive.”

It’s fair to wonder whether the 11-year, $300 million deal that Turner signed in December is causing him to press. He elected free agency for the first time in his nine-year career this past winter. Turner said that his frustration comes more from trying to live up to his personal standards, rather than his contract.

“I feel like that because I know I can play better,” he said. “I don’t feel like that for anything else, other than I know what kind of player I am. And where I can get better and do things. I just haven’t played up to my standards. So, I don’t care about a lot of the outside stuff. I have high expectations for myself, and I haven’t been good, so it’s as simple as that.”

Utility man Kody Clemens has now hit home runs in back-to-back games. After hitting a home run on April 29, his second of the season, he hit one on Sunday night to left-center field. It was a meaningful moment for a Houston native — and even more meaningful because his father, pitching great Roger Clemens, was in the ballpark when he hit it.

“He’s getting some more opportunity, and he’s barreling up balls right now,” Thomson said of Clemens. “He’s swinging at strikes, for the most part. He’s swinging the bat well.”

Bailey Falter ran into trouble early Sunday. He began his outing by allowing a single and two walks to load the bases in the first inning. He limited the damage by inducing a run-scoring double play, but was unable to find rhythm throughout the rest of his 4⅓ innings. In falling to 0-5, Falter allowed four runs on eight hits, including a home run by Jake Meyers, and three walks, with three strikeouts.

“This is a tough lineup for a lefty to go through,” Thomson said. “Because even their two lefties hit lefties. I think he just grinded and grinded and grinded and made some pitches when he needed to. Got the double play in the first inning. Worked out of a couple of other jams. The walks hurt him.”

Falter was less inclined to credit the Astros’ offense with his results on Sunday.

“I think I just beat myself all the time, to be honest with you,” he said.

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