Trea Turner is in one of those stretches where every swing looks like it belongs in slow motion. Ten games into a hitting streak, he’s piling up base hits at a .522 clip, and he hasn’t just been good—he’s been absurd. On Wednesday, he tied his career high with five hits as the Phillies flattened Seattle, 11-2, to complete a sweep. That capped a four-game run in which Philadelphia plated 40 runs and looked every bit like a team hitting its September stride.
And it hasn’t been just Turner. Kyle Schwarber muscled his way to his 45th home run, Max Kepler and Bryson Stott each chipped in three hits, and the Phillies turned in a 20-hit afternoon—one shy of their season-high from the series opener. Stott, meanwhile, has been on a heater of his own, hitting .354 in August and becoming as reliable as anyone in the lineup.
Yet somehow, even as the box scores fill up with crooked numbers, Turner’s streak overshadows it all. In the past two weeks, he’s seemingly had three hits a night, carrying an offense that now leads the National League East by seven games over the Mets.
The Nationals, of course, have had a say in cooling the party. Last Saturday, it was Cade Cavalli who shut Philadelphia down with seven scoreless innings, scattering seven hits to pick up his first major-league win in just his fourth career start since returning from Tommy John surgery. James Wood drove in the runs that day, then crushed a three-run homer in Washington’s win over the Mets on Thursday. He hasn’t solved the Phillies yet—just 6-for-35 with 19 strikeouts against them—but the Nationals have leaned on rookies like Wood, Brady House, and Riley Adams to supply some unexpected punch.
For Philadelphia, Friday brings Taijuan Walker back to the mound. His last start came in that duel with Cavalli, where he allowed just two runs in 6 2/3 innings but left with a loss. Then came the gut punch: Zack Wheeler diagnosed with a blood clot, forcing Walker to remain in the rotation longer than planned.
So here comes the rematch. The Nationals throwing kids who don’t know they’re not supposed to win yet. The Phillies riding the hottest hitter in baseball and a lineup that looks unstoppable. And Walker, a veteran holding the fort in a rotation suddenly missing its ace.
If you’re looking for a subplot to carry this weekend series, you don’t need to look hard. It starts with Turner’s beach-ball swings and ends with a Phillies team trying to show that this week’s offensive explosion wasn’t a blip, but a statement.
Pitching Matchups
Friday: RHP Taijuan Walker (4-6, 3.34) vs. RHP Cade Cavalli (1-0, 2.20)
Saturday: RHP Aaron Nola (1-7, 6.92) vs. LHP Mitchell Parker (7-13, 5.83)
Sunday: LHP Ranger Suarez (9-6, 3.25) vs. RHP Jake Irvin (8-8, 5.30)
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