DETROIT — Spencer Turnbull stood in the corner of a room inside a ballpark he now believes is cursed and, three times in three minutes, he repeated the same thing. “I don’t know what it is about this place here,” Turnbull said. “Just can’t seem to stay healthy here.” It had been 423 days since Turnbull last pitched at Comerica Park. Everything has changed in the time since.
But, there he was, grabbing the back of his shoulder after throwing a curveball in the third inning. He expected to be emotional facing his former team — the organization that employed him for 10 years — and the actual result was less than serendipitous.
“I wasn’t sure how to feel,” Turnbull said. “A lot of nerves and butterflies today. Just a strange one for sure. I’m kind of glad to get it behind me and, hopefully, be ready for my next start next week.”
That, as of now, is in doubt. Turnbull was not concerned about what he described as “a little grab” at the back of his shoulder. The Phillies will run him through more tests Thursday morning. Shoulder injuries typically warrant caution. Turnbull was concerned enough to report something to a team athletic trainer. His return to Detroit was cut short after 36 pitches in three innings. Six relievers filled the void in a 6-2 victory to help the Philadelphia Phillies secure another series win.
“I didn’t want to take any chances,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.
Brandon Marsh went 4-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs in the Phillies’ 6-2 win. (Rick Osentoski / USA Today)
The depth of the Phillies’ rotation, already without Taijuan Walker, would be tested if Turnbull had to miss a few weeks.
This was Turnbull’s first start since April 30 but, in each of his four previous outings this month, he threw more than the 36 pitches he used Wednesday. He had completed three innings in two of those appearances. The Phillies had planned for Turnbull to throw about 70 pitches against the Tigers.
He felt the shoulder pain on the second-to-last pitch he threw.
Turnbull’s next start would have been Tuesday at Wrigley Field. If the Phillies use Monday’s scheduled off day to skip the fifth spot in the rotation, they would need only two starts from that fifth man before the All-Star break. It’s three starts if they stay in rotation.
Michael Mercado, a rookie righty who has been in the majors for four days, would slot into the rotation if there’s a need.
Walker is eligible to be activated on July 7, but the Phillies had hoped for a longer pause in an attempt to fix the veteran right-hander. He is throwing daily — just without using a splitter grip. That is the one pitch that has irritated his right index finger, which has inflamed from a lingering blister.
They are using the pause to experiment.
“I don’t have a sense of when he’s going to throw the split, but it sounds like the finger is doing better,” Thomson said. “We’re doing some weighted ball stuff to try to increase his velocity. Get him on a velocity program while we can, and hopefully, that helps. But he feels good, so that’s good.”
The Phillies, according to sources, had planned to shift Mercado into a bullpen role at Triple A sometime in July. They expedited that process this week when Walker went on the injured list, Turnbull bumped into the rotation, and Mercado came to the majors.
Mercado’s role was the subject of a debate in spring training; some in the organization saw him as a reliever and others advocated to see what he looked like in a rotation. He had been a starter in the Tampa Bay Rays’ farm system. Then, in 2023, they moved him into the bullpen. He came to the Phillies in a trade last November.
“I’ve just grown so much as a pitcher since the last time I was starting,” Mercado said this week. “A couple of new pitches. Just fine-tuning. Knowing who I am more as a pitcher. I just had a lot of confidence going into this year after having a good year last year.”
Mercado relocated to the Lehigh Valley rotation in late April and topped 90 pitches in two starts earlier this month. He had trouble throwing strikes at times. Most evaluators view him as a reliever in the majors.
For now, the Phillies’ hand could be forced. Thomson liked what he saw in Mercado’s one-inning debut. It looked the same as it did in the spring, Thomson said, when Mercado made a strong impression.
First big league batter ✔️
First big league K ✔️ pic.twitter.com/BcntYGrUVG— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 25, 2024
“Everybody that has their first outing in this league, they’re nervous,” Thomson said. “Some guys get more nervous than others. So I asked him, ‘Was he nervous?’ Because I said everybody is.”
Mercado admitted he was.
“To tell you the truth,” Mercado said to Thomson, “I was more nervous in the bullpen than I was on the mound.”
The manager liked that.
“That’s a good sign,” Thomson said.
If Turnbull must miss time, the concern becomes how little the Phillies have behind Mercado, who is something of an unknown. Mick Abel, one of the club’s top prospects, has a 7.08 ERA at Triple A and has not pitched more than five innings in a start since mid-May. He has walked almost as many (40) as he’s struck out (49). He is not an option.
Well-traveled lefty Kolby Allard might be next on the depth chart. The Phillies sent him to Florida after six horrendous weeks to begin the season and, in his past four starts at Triple A, he has a 2.49 ERA with 21 strikeouts and six walks in 21 2/3 innings. Tyler Phillips, a 26-year-old righty who is not on the 40-man roster, has pitched deep into games all season at Triple A. He could be a consideration.
Turnbull spent most of last season dealing with neck and foot injuries, then fighting Detroit’s front office about the severity and timing of those injuries. He won a full year of service time after a second grievance, then the Tigers cast him loose. It’s how he landed in Philadelphia and returned to Comerica Park as a starter on the team with the best record in the National League.
He left here with an uncertain feeling yet again.
“It’s one of those things,” Turnbull said. “I don’t know what it is about this place. Glad to be headed home.”
(Photo of Spencer Turnbull: Nic Antaya / Getty Images)
