Turnbull leaves with shoulder pain; what next in the Phillies rotation? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Spencer Turnbull made his first start since April 30 and left Wednesday’s Phillies series finale in Detroit after three innings with right shoulder soreness.
It’s troubling news for a team that started the week by placing Taijuan Walker on the 15-day injured list with a blister that prevented him from properly gripping and throwing his splitter.
Considering the circumstances surrounding Turnbull – his return to the rotation and his return to Detroit to face the only team he knew before the Phillies – his shoulder must have been quite sore.
The Phillies have the best 1 through 4 in baseball, but don’t have much pitching depth outside of their core four and the 5-6 of Walker and Turnbull. Most teams don’t.
Walker’s replacement on the active roster this week was lanky 25-year-old right-hander Michael Mercado, who was called up from Triple A after pitching to a 1.71 ERA in 47â…“ innings. Mercado made his big league debut on Monday in the Phillies’ 8-1 victory, going 1-2-3 in the eighth inning with a strikeout. He flashed a 96-97 mph fastball, a low-80s curveball and a high-80s cutter.
Mercado was stretched to six innings and 91 pitches in his most recent start at Lehigh Valley. That was just eight days ago, so it would make sense to start in Turnbull’s place if Turnbull can’t get the ball next time.
The Phillies could also skip the fifth spot in their rotation because they have Monday off. The next time the No. 5 spot would be needed is Saturday, July 6, after which they may have more clarity with Turnbull or Walker.
If both Turnbull and Walker miss multiple starts, the Phillies don’t have many options besides Mercado. Max Castillo and Kolby Allard are on the 40-man roster, but have not pitched well at Triple A. That includes Mick Abel, who has a 7.08 ERA and is not yet on the 40-man roster.
The Phillies entered 25 games above .500 on Wednesday with a 7½-game cushion over the Braves in the NL East, but if they don’t get good news on Turnbull and Walker in the coming days, they may have to explore getting a cheap rental could add starter before the July 30 trade deadline (a la Michael Lorenzen a year ago). They don’t need a fifth starter in October, but they do need it in the regular season to avoid unnecessarily taxing their bullpen.
The Phillies led the Tigers 3-1 when Turnbull left and extended their lead to 5-1 by the end of the fifth inning. Brandon Marsh hit a two-run homer and two-run single to pace the offense.
