Turner and Phillies beat Dodgers in opening game of important series – Trentonian

Trea Turner of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a grand slam against pitcher Bobby Miller of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

PHILADELPHIA — Trea Turner hit his sixth career grand slam, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh also hit home runs and the Philadelphia Phillies welcomed Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber back from injuries with a 10-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night.

“I thought Treas’ grand slam gave us some distance,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.

Turner’s six-run slam in the fourth inning actually gave the Phillies the edge they needed to keep their luck with ace Zack Wheeler from getting too much. The Phillies lost Wheeler to a tight left lower back after five innings on a hot night.

Wheeler (10-4), a 2024 All-Star, joined Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez as the Phillies’ trio of pitchers with 10 wins before the All-Star break. It’s the first time in franchise history that the Phillies have had three pitchers with 10 wins before the break.

Thomson and Wheeler both said the pitcher should make his next scheduled start on Sunday against Oakland.

“We’ll just play it safe and see what happens next,” Wheeler said.

After a modest 5-4 record without Harper and Schwarber – including losing two of three games over the weekend in Atlanta – the Phillies showed their strengths in the duel of the NL division leaders at the start of the game against the Dodgers.

“It was just another good win against a really good team,” Turner said. “It’s another game, but at the same time, you want to see where you stand. Great ball club and we played some good baseball ourselves. It was pretty refreshing to win the way we wanted to and that gives us confidence going forward.”

The Phillies won the game with a six-run fourth against Dodgers starter Bobby Miller (1-2), which boosted the right-hander’s ERA from 6.12 to 8.07. The Phillies led 4-0 when Turner – who left the Dodgers for Philadelphia on an 11-year, $300 million contract before the 2023 season – hit an 86-mph slider into the left field seats.

“I think I’m a dud when all the bases are occupied,” Turner said.

Phillies fans don’t need to give Turner a standing ovation this season. Turner, a 2024 NL All-Star, has hit five home runs in his last seven games.

Stott later added a solo hit against Miller in the fourth, his first since May 18.

“I’m just going to use all these failures as motivation for my next outing,” Miller said.

Harper went 0 for 4. Schwarber hit a two-RBI single in the second inning to take a 3-0 lead. Harper strained his left hamstring while running between the bases in the ninth inning, and Schwarber strained his left groin on a throw to left field in the eighth inning of a loss to Miami on June 27.

Wheeler threw 76 pitches — striking out Dodgers leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani on three pitches to start the game — and left the game with a 9-1 Phillies lead. He allowed three hits, struck out seven and allowed two walks. Wheeler allowed a solo home run by Cavan Biggio in the fifth inning.

He will not be available to the National League staff for next week’s All-Star Game. Wheeler and the Phillies agreed in March to a three-year, $126 million contract for 2025-27 that, at $42 million, represents the fourth-highest average salary in baseball history.

TRAINING ROOM

The Dodgers have placed All-Star right-hander Tyler Glasnow on the 15-day injured list retroactively to July 6 due to back problems.

Glasnow, 30, has an 8-5 record and a 3.47 ERA in his first season with the Dodgers. He was acquired in a trade from Tampa Bay in December and received a five-year, $136.5 million contract to return to Southern California.

Phillies CF Johan Rojas was hit by a pitch near his wrist in the seventh inning. The Dodgers then brought in outfielder Kiké Hernandez to pitch and he struck out Schwarber to end the inning. Hernandez struck out all four batters in his second pitching appearance – both times at Citizens Bank Park (2018).

NEXT START

Phillies RHP Tyler Phillips starts Saturday against Oakland. He made his major league debut Sunday in Atlanta and allowed just one run in four innings, striking out the first four he faced.

NEXT

The Dodgers send RHP Gavin Stone (9-2, 3.03 ERA) to the mound against Phillies LHP Cristopher Sánchez (6-4, 2.96 ERA).