Thomson’s decision to withdraw Turnbull proved costly in back-to-back defeat to Reds originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
CINCINNATI – First, veteran right-hander Spencer Turnbull was pulled from the game after five innings despite allowing just one run in five innings while striking out eight on Wednesday night at Great American Ball Park.
Then, from all available evidence, he will be removed from the rotation despite a 1.33 earned run average in five starts.
The Phillies can only hope the second decision works out better than the first.
Turnbull was figuratively removed from baseball’s unemployment line when camps opened, insurance against the possibility of needing a starter at some point this year. The Phils had to cash in on that policy earlier than expected when Taijuan Walker was placed on the injured list with shoulder soreness before Opening Day. He’s healthy now, he’ll start Sunday in San Diego and that’s the way it goes. It may not seem fair, but sometimes it is a break.
Rob Thomson had a tougher decision to make coming into the bottom of the sixth against the Reds. Turnbull had thrown 89 pitches but was coming off a 1-2-3 inning. The Phillies won by two.
Turnbull received a congratulatory pat on the back. Reliever Seranthony Dominguez caught the ball.
Oops.
“He was coming back, but then (the Reds) made two pitching changes,” the manager said. “It took about 25 minutes. That’s why we made the change. If he had made a (fewer) number of shots, I would have sent him back. But once you’re in the 90s, it’s a little long to wait.”
Said Turnbull: “I was ready to come back but it’s their decision. They were just trying to take care of me. Play it safe.”
There is no way of knowing, of course, what would have happened if Turnbull had been allowed to bowl one more innings. But we know for sure what happened when he didn’t.
Dominguez managed just two strikeouts. He gave up four runs. His earned run average for the season jumped to 9.72. The Reds won 7-4. Their seven-game winning streak is quickly erasing as the Phillies have lost consecutive games to Cincinnati. The Reds also clinched the season series (4-2 with the last meeting between the two teams on Thursday), meaning they would win in any tiebreaker scenario. Hey, you never know.
And, in perhaps the cruelest cut of all, Turnbull was deprived of a potential win while presumably heading to the bullpen to become a long reliever for the foreseeable future.
Thomson, predictably, insisted he is not concerned about Dominguez’s general lack of effectiveness thus far. “He’s been kind of hot and cold, you know, but I’ve always trusted him. Because he has a beautiful arm,” said the coach. “I think this will be a big year for him. He had trouble finding the plate in this game. He just needs to throw punches.”
He walked two in his two-thirds of an inning Wednesday night and threw 32 pitches, just 16 for strikes.
Dominguez was unavailable for comment after the game.
The Phillies also had two outs on the bases. In both cases – Alec Bohm in the first and Trea Turner in the fifth – the runner assumed the Reds would pass and was caught in brief scuffles when they didn’t.
Bohm continued his hitting streak with three singles, a double, a walk and 2 RBI. In his last eight games, he is 16-for-30 (.533).
On a busy night with a lot of moving pieces, though, the storyline that stood out was that a starting pitcher who has had great success in his five starts this year will soon be told that’s not good enough to stay in the rotation. No wonder his ERA is tied for fourth in the big leagues among all qualified pitchers.
“I try not to worry about it,” he said, stopping in front of his locker afterwards. “I’m just going to focus on getting ready for my next start. All the other stuff is just noise and I’ll deal with it anyway.
“Obviously, I’m aware of things, but it’s out of my control. If things change, they change. I hope I presented it well enough to have a chance to stay in this conversation. I know there are other factors involved, but they haven’t told me anything yet. So I’ll prepare for my next start and see how it goes.
“I will do whatever they tell me. Like I said, it’s not my decision. I want whatever gives the team the best chance to win is what I want to do. So if they say they’re going in a different direction, I’ve enjoyed my five starts so far. I feel great. I feel strong. I feel healthy. I’m not worried about the innings limit or anything like that.”
Said Thomson: “He’s been fantastic this year. We couldn’t expect anything more. He really threw the ball well. But we have a 15-game winner back (Walker) who threw the ball really well for us last year.
It’s also possible, of course, that the Phillies move to a 6-player rotation later in the season when they have fewer days off. Or, God forbid, another injury strikes the rotation. No matter what happens, he will almost certainly start again at some point this season.
There are no certain things in baseball. Nobody knows this better than Turnbull now.
DULY NOTED
Spencer Turnbull has become the latest pitcher to complain that the mound at Great American Ball is flatter and lower than regulation. The Reds say they have measured it repeatedly and that it meets MLB standards. . .Nick Castellanos, who has been in a season-long slump, has moved up from sixth to cleanup in the batting order. “Just to give him some confidence. At some point he will get hot. With him you don’t know when it will happen. But it will happen,” said Rob Thomson. That didn’t happen Wednesday night. Castellanos went hitless in five at-bats, dropping his season average to .174. . .Bryce Harper, who has missed the last three games while on paternity leave, was in the clubhouse after last night’s game.
ARRIVING
RHP Zack Wheeler (1-3, 2.30) will face Reds RHP Nick Martinez (0-0, 4.76) at 1:10 p.m. in the series finale Thursday at Great American Ball Park. Next, the Phillies will fly to San Diego for a weekend series against the Padres. Petco Park Matchups: RHP Aaron Nola (3-1, 3.16) vs. RHP Joe Musgrove (3-2, 5.74) Friday at 9:40 p.m., LHP Ranger Suarez (4-0, 1.36) vs. 3-1, 1.82) Saturday at 8:40 p.m. and RHP Taijuan Walker, making his first start of the season, vs. TBA Sunday at 4:10 p.m.
