Turnbull didn't factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and no walks over 5.1 innings against the Angels. He struck out six.
The only run charged against Turnbull came in the third inning when Zach Neto tagged him for a solo homer. The 31-year-old hasn't allowed more than four hits in a game this season, and with the Phillies expected to trim their six-man rotation back to five now that Taijuan Walker is healthy, Turnbull has certainly made a case for maintaining a starting role. However, after dealing with severe injuries in 2022 and 2023, the Phillies could look to watch his workload early in hopes of keeping him fresh throughout the long season. If Turnbull sticks in the rotation, he'd likely toe the rubber early next week, either in the series finale against the Giants or the series opener against Toronto.
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Phillies' Spencer Turnbull: Starting Tuesday
Rotowire
Manager Rob Thomson said Turnbull will start Tuesday's game against the Angels, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
At least to begin the upcoming week, the Phillies will keep a six-man rotation in place following the return of Taijuan Walker from the injured list Sunday. In order to keep Turnbull in the fold in a starting role, the Phillies will move Zack Wheeler's next start to Wednesday and Aaron Nola's to Friday. Thomson said that he wanted to give Wheeler and Nola some extra rest ahead of their next starts, adding that he's not inclined to go with a six-man rotation moving forward. However, keeping a six-man rotation in place for this week will buy Thomson one more opportunity to evaluate Turnbull and Walker, with how either pitcher performs in their upcoming start perhaps determining which of the two sticks around as part of a five-man rotation. Turnbull has dazzled thus far with a 1.33 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 30:10 K:BB in 27 innings through five starts, but the Phillies are conscious of monitoring his workload after he missed the 2022 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery before tossing just 57 total innings between the majors and minors in 2023 while missing time with a neck injury.
Phillies' Spencer Turnbull: Strikes out eight Wednesday
Rotowire
Turnbull didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against Cincinnati, allowing one run on three hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out eight.
It was another strong effort from Turnbull, who set a season high with eight strikeouts while allowing just one run on a Will Benson solo homer in the third inning. Turnbull has been exceptional to start the year, going 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 30:10 K:BB through 27 innings. Still, with Taijuan Walker (shoulder) returning from the IL, Turnbull will head to the bullpen in an effort to manage his innings. The right-hander figures to be first in line should the Phillies need help in the rotation later this season.
Phillies' Spencer Turnbull: Move to bullpen coming soon
Rotowire
Phillies manager Rob Thomson implied Friday that Turnbull will likely move to the bullpen after he starts Wednesday's game in Cincinnati, MLB.com reports.
Taijuan Walker (shoulder) tossed 6.1 innings and 102 pitches in his latest rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, setting him up to return from the 15-day injured list and take back a spot in the rotation next weekend in San Diego. Rather than making room for both Walker and Turnbull and expanding the rotation to six men, the latter is poised to head to the bullpen as the Phillies look to manage his innings. Even with Turnbull's upcoming move to relief, Thomson is optimistic that the right-hander can get enough work to stay stretched out in the event a spot in the rotation opens up again. Turnbull has been tremendous thus far for any managers in deeper mixed leagues or NL-only leagues that scooped him up in the later rounds of drafts, as he's gone 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 22:7 K:BB across 22 innings.
Turnbull (2-0) earned the win Friday against the White Sox, allowing one hit and two walks over seven scoreless innings. He struck out six.
Turnbull held Chicago without a hit through six innings, eventually allowing a lone one-out single to Gavin Sheets in the seventh en route to a 7-0 Phillies victory. Turnbull has been a revelation in Philadelphia so far this season, holding opponents scoreless in three of his first four starts. The 31-year-old right-hander lowered his ERA to 1.23 with a 0.77 WHIP and 22:7 K:BB across 22 innings. Turnbull is currently on track for a road matchup with the Reds in his next outing, but it could be his last for the time being with Taijuan Walker (shoulder) close to making his season debut.
