Trea Turner homers twice, Bryce Harper goes deep in Phillies' 6-4 win over Ohtani, Angels
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 28: Trea Turner #7 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after hitting a two run home run in the bottom of fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Citizens Bank Park on August 28, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsyl
PHILADELPHIA - Trea Turner keeps hitting homers — all the Phillies have of late, really — with his seven this month for a team that has socked 52 in August.
Turner wants the NL champions to keep going deep, all the way back to the World Series.
"These guys made a great run last year," he said. "I've played my fair share. That's the goal. That's when it's really fun. You've got to play well for 162 to get there."
Turner homered twice, Bryce Harper hit a two-run shot and streaking Philadelphia beat Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels 6-4 on Monday night.
Turner, who won a World Series with Washington in 2019, hit a tying solo homer in the second and the go-ahead shot in the fifth that made it 5-3 and sent the NL wild-card leaders to their fourth straight win.
After four months of fits and starts from the Phillies’ high-priced sluggers, the bats went wild in August. Harper lined his sixth homer in the last 11 games into the right-field seats.
"When they're good hitters, they're going to hit good pitches sometimes," Angels manager Phil Nevin said.
Kyle Schwarber has nine homers this month while Harper and Nick Castellanos have eight apiece.
Harper was intentionally walked with two outs and nobody on in the seventh with the Angels trailing 5-4. Ohtani drew an intentional walk with two runners on in the fourth and the Angels ahead 3-1.
Ohtani ripped a single up the middle in the first inning and went 1 for 4 with a strikeout. Harper went 1 for 3 in the anticipated matchup between two former MVPs.
Turner, though, stole the show. He made a run-saving play at shortstop in the first and has a hit in 17 straight home games. Turner is hitting over. 300 in August while establishing himself — finally — as the kind of player worthy of his $300 million contract.
"It just makes the lineup very dangerous when he's doing what he's doing right now," Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.
Ohtani was cheered during introductions by most of the 38,142 fans at Citizens Bank Park. He had one more fan at first base — Harper, who was effusive in his praise for Los Angeles’ two-way star.
"He gives everybody at a young age the opportunity to strive to be like that," Harper said. "Hopefully one day we’ll have multiple players in the league doing what he’s doing, because it is very special. He’s one of the guys that can do it because he does have the body that he does and the mindset that he does."
Ohtani, though, is sidelined from pitching the rest of the season because of a torn ligament in his right elbow. The Angels, their playoff chances all but gone, have lost six of eight.
Angels starter Lucas Giolito (7-11) allowed all three homers and five runs over 5 2/3 innings. Taijuan Walker (14-5) struck out six and gave up three runs in his 5 2/3 innings.
Craig Kimbrel worked the ninth for his 21st save.
MONIAK BACK
Angels CF Mickey Moniak went 3-for-4 with an RBI in his first game against the Phillies since he was traded last August to Los Angeles. Moniak was selected by Philadelphia with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 amateur draft but never quite panned out as a starting outfielder.
"He went through some rough patches here," Thomson said. "We knew that he was a good player. It wasn’t like we didn’t think he was going to be the player he is. And he’s going to get better."
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies LHP Ranger Suarez (strained right hamstring) threw a bullpen session before the game and could return to the rotation Sunday against Milwaukee.
MEDIA CELEBRATED
The Phillies honored the team out of Media, a suburb of Philadelphia, that reached the Little League World Series. The team was introduced on the field and met Castellanos. The Phillies played last week in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and Harper consoled the kids after they were eliminated from the tournament.
"It was tough for me to kind of look at them and talk to them because they’re crying and they’re upset and it’s tough at that age to lose a game like that in a big moment, in a big spot," Harper said. "I told them I’ve been there. I understand what you guys are going through at this point. But they all have long careers ahead of them."
COACH CAL
Kentucky coach John Calipari attended the game and met Thomson and Nevin. Calipari wrote on social media he was an assistant coach at Kansas in the early 1980s the same time Thomson played baseball for the Jayhawks. Calipari also posed for pictures with Ohtani and Trout.
UP NEXT
The Angels send LHP Tyler Anderson (5-5, 5.35 ERA) to the mound against Phillies RHP Michael Lorenzen (7=8, 3.69).