Bohm’s monster night and Turnbull’s continued excellence lead Phillies to 4th straight win originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
They are trending now.
The Phillies jumped out to another early lead, Alec Bohm had a monster night offensively, and once again, you couldn’t ask for a better outing from Spencer Turnbull.
The 7-0 victory over the White Sox is now their fourth in a row, and for the first time this season, it’s starting to look like the Phillies are clicking on both sides of the ball.
How does it start? Striking early and often. The Phillies found themselves with a first-inning lead for the third consecutive game. Trea Turner battled for a single on the field, extending his hitting streak to eight games. After Bryce Harper drew a walk, Alec Bohm broke through with his second home run of the season.
Do you feel Déjà vu?
Just two innings later, the Phils found themselves in a nearly identical situation. Turner doubled, extending another streak. He now has six consecutive games with an extra base hit. Harper once again drew a walk…and you guessed it, Bohm had his second three-run shot of the night.
It’s Bohm’s first multi home run game since July 1, 2023 against the Nationals. He finished the night with six runs batted in.
“Balanced approach,” Bohm said on his at-bats against Chicago starting pitcher Garrett Crochet. “Not trying to do too much and just trying to short it out with two strikes, put the ball in play and then get rewarded with a couple homers. Yeah, pretty cool.”
“He’s stronger than he was two years ago and he’s stronger than he was last year,” coach Rob Thomson said on Bohm night. “So if he’s gaining momentum and getting the ball up in the air, in theory, he’s going to hit more home runs. He had a great night, he really did.”
Thomson also wanted Whit Merrifield to get more playing time and it finally paid off. In what could now be considered a slugfest, the Phillies’ off-season utility acquisition was nailed down for the first time this season.
“Finally,” said Thomson. “Maybe it will let him breathe a little bit. Whenever you come to a new club, a new fan base, there’s a little bit of anxiety. You want to start well and he might hit it.”
The crowd of 39,069 at Citizens Bank Park was loving every minute of the big offensive night… and when did the other side of the ball arrive? They were equally receptive.
Turnbull, in his fourth start with the Phillies, had no hits for the White Sox in the first six innings of the game. Gavin Sheets scored in the top of the seventh to put the no-no to rest. Fans rose to their feet to a standing ovation in recognition of the Phils starter.
“I thought about it a few times, but I tried not to,” Turnbull said after the game. “I tried to put it out of my mind for a while, at least until after the game. Yes, I thought about that a few times.
“Still angry, I gave up on the hit, but everything is fine. Still very happy with the ride. Still very fun, the team got the victory, which is the most important thing. Maybe save a few bullets in the arm.”
The starting rotation has now gone an impressive 24.1 innings without allowing an earned run.
The Phillies are now four games above the .500 mark at 12-8. While it may not seem like much, it’s a feat they hadn’t accomplished until June 18 of last season (38-34) and June 17, 2022 (35-31).
A goal set by the Phillies during spring training was to get off on the right foot, avoiding a slow start like the previous two seasons. Having back-to-back series against teams from the bottom division of the league, at home, is exactly something they needed to take advantage of.
So far, they have won four of four against the Rockies and White Sox, improving to 6-2 in their longest home of the 2024 season.
(And hey, now we know City Connect shirts aren’t cursed!)
Arriving …
Zack Wheeler will take control for Saturday’s 6:05 p.m. start. He is still searching for his first win of the young season. He will face Michael Soroka, who has posted a 6.98 ERA in four games.
Next up, Aaron Nola closes out the series and 10-game homestand on Sunday at 1:35 pm against right-hander Nick Nastrini.
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