The Philadelphia Phillies had reason to be concerned after Trea Turner sustained a hamstring injury early this month, but nothing seems to derail this group.
Philadelphia improved to 13-3 without Turner with its a 5-2 victory over the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers on Tuesday.
The host Phillies will look for their fifth straight win on Wednesday evening when they play the second contest of their three-game interleague series against the Rangers.
On Tuesday, Bryce Harper hit a solo home run and double, and Alec Bohm added two hits and two RBIs as the Phillies won for the 27th time in 33 games.
“It’s one guy after another,” Harper said on a post-game interview on NBC Sports Philadelphia. “If one guy goes 0-for-4, then another guy goes 3-for-4 to get the job done.”
Ranger Suarez, Tuesday’s starter, tossed seven strong innings to improve to 9-0. After allowing one run in seven innings, he left to a standing ovation from the appreciative crowd of 41,083.
“It just shows you the passion of our fan base,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “It shows how much they like to come out and watch our guys play.”
Turner took batting practice before the game, although it’s unclear when he’ll return to the lineup. He was hitting .343 with two home runs, 10 doubles, 10 stolen bases and nine RBIs before going on the injury list May 4.
The Phillies are expected to start right-hander Taijuan Walker (3-0, 4.91 ERA) on Wednesday.
In Walker’s last start, against the New Yok Mets on Thursday, he lasted only 3 1/3 innings after suffering a left big toe contusion following a hit by Starling Marte. X-rays were negative after the game.
Walker is 2-2 with a 4.12 ERA in eight career games (seven starts) against the Rangers.
Texas will look to snap a two-game losing streak on Wednesday.
Corey Seager hit a solo home run while Derek Hill and Jonah Heim added two hits apiece in the series opener for the Rangers.
Hill was called up from Triple-A Round Rock after being a pleasant surprise as a non-roster player in spring training. He was hitting .333, good for fourth overall in the Pacific Coast League before joining the Rangers.
Marcus Semien contributed an RBI double, but it wasn’t enough as the Rangers fell below .500 for the first time this season.
“I thought we had good at-bats,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “We battled. We just couldn’t get that hit to put a crooked number on the board.”
Adolis Garcia was held out of the lineup despite some cautious optimism that he would be play in the series opener. Garcia collided with Semien on Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels and sustained a right forearm injury.
Bochy said the MRI returned “pretty good” results but that Garcia was still sore on Tuesday. His status is unclear for Wednesday’s game.
The Rangers have struggled with injuries throughout the early part of this season.
“You’ve gotta keep pushing,” Bochy said of dealing with them. “That’s all you can do. … Our guys have to do their thing. It’s the only way it’s gonna work.”
The Rangers will turn to right-hander Dane Dunning (3-2, 4.10 ERA) to make the start on Wednesday. He is expected to be reinstated from the injured list after being sidelined by a shoulder injury.
Dunning allowed three hits over three scoreless innings last season in his lone career appearance vs. the Phillies.
–Field Level Media
