Trea Turner had one of those games against the Dodgers on Monday night. The kind where you don’t know whether to pat him on the back or hide his glove.
The Phillies shortstop launched two home runs, including his 200th career homer. He tacked on a double and drove in five runs. But he also made his 15th error of the season and had a handful of other defensive plays that left fans cringing in the stands. It was, by his own admission, a mess wrapped in a highlight reel.
“Just a ridiculous game in general by me,” Turner told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. “I’m just happy we got the win. Just roller-coaster, up, down, up, down. You know, you do things like that or have games like that, and sometimes you’ve just got to laugh about it. If you can’t laugh at yourself, then you’re kind of done for. So yeah, it’s good.”
It’s been that kind of season for Turner. He’s hitting homers at a clip he hasn’t seen since 2024 — his 14th of the year puts him just one shy of what he hit all of last season. But the errors have piled up too. His 15 miscues are the most among shortstops in the National League. Interim manager Don Mattingly has publicly defended him, saying the defensive issues are out of character and that Turner’s work ethic will fix them.
A milestone that didn’t seem possible
The 200-homer mark is the kind of number that sneaks up on you. Turner never walked into the league as a power hitter. He was a burner who hit line drives, and the power developed gradually. Then it became a regular part of his game. From 2021 through 2024 he hit at least 20 homers every year, but he dipped to 15 last season. So getting to 200 mattered.
“I don’t think early in my career anybody thought I would hit 200 homers,” Turner said. “So it’s kind of cool from an evolution standpoint of where I was when I was younger, and what kind of hitter I was, to being able to do that at the highest level.”
The Phillies are 56-45, good for second in the NL East and the second wild card spot in the National League. They’re still within striking distance of the Braves, and their offense has been carrying a pitching staff that’s been banged up all year. Turner’s bat has been a big part of that. His defense has been, well, the opposite.
What’s next
Philadelphia and Los Angeles play the second game of their three-game set on Tuesday night. The Dodgers are the best team in baseball and the Phillies are trying to prove they can hang with the big boys. Turner will be in the lineup, probably at shortstop. Because what else are you going to do?
He hit two homers and made errors that same night. And his team still won. That’s baseball in July.
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