Spencer Turnbull felt ‘like a baby giraffe’ in scoreless relief appearance. How else will the Phillies use him?

The plan, as explained to Spencer Turnbull, called for Cristopher Sánchez to face the Blue Jays’ batting order twice before exiting stage left.

One problem: Sánchez pitched too well.

So, with Turnbull waiting in the proverbial bullpen wings Tuesday night, the Phillies stuck with Sánchez for one, maybe even two more innings. Turnbull still got in his work, just not as much as everyone had hoped, in two scoreless innings of a 10-1 knee-slapper.

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And that was how the Phillies’ first attempt at a pitching piggyback went.

“We kept extending Sanchy because he was so efficient,” manager Rob Thomson said. “So, we kept calling down to the bullpen just to keep them updated on what we were thinking.”

OK, let’s pause. Trying to cram six pitchers into a standard five-man starting rotation qualifies as one of those good — actually, great — baseball problems. Most teams are scratching to find five viable starters. The Phillies have a half-dozen.

But in welcoming back Taijuan Walker from a spring-training shoulder impingement and pushing Turnbull (ERA: 1.57 in 34⅓ innings) into the bullpen, they’re aiming to keep the latter’s arm trained for a return to the rotation later in the season, when ineffectiveness or more likely injury inevitably strike.

Will a string of two-inning, 33-pitch appearances, like the one Turnbull made in blanking the Blue Jays, be enough?

“No,” Thomson said. “At some point in the next 10 days or two weeks, we need to get him stretched out.”

All along, Thomson said publicly and in meetings with Turnbull that he preferred to use the red-haired righty in three-inning chunks out of the bullpen. In an ideal world, that meant having him come in after Sánchez in what’s typically described as a “piggyback.”

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But it’s difficult to commit to such an arrangement. What happens if, say, another starter gets knocked out early and Turnbull is unavailable after throwing 50-something pitches behind Sánchez a few days earlier? Or if Sánchez gets through the opposing order twice in five innings and only 65 pitches, as he did Tuesday night?

“I think you set it up, and whoever it is, you say, ‘OK, you’ve got four [innings] today, or five. If you’re at five and 50 pitches, you’re coming out because that other guy needs to pitch,’” Thomson said last week. “You could do it that way.”

But when the situation arose, Thomson kept Turnbull waiting.

“I kind of figured after the fifth I should get moving around down there,” said Turnbull, unfamiliar with the reliever routine. “Played catch a little bit, but didn’t really get hot until a little bit later. I thought maybe I’d have the seventh, and then [Sánchez] went out for another one because he was doing so well.

“Just learning what it’s like out there and just rolling with it.”

It’s an adjustment for everyone. The upside, according to Thomson, is that Turnbull should be able to pitch again in about two or three days. Perhaps he could get three innings in relief of Walker on Saturday in Miami. Or maybe not.

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Turnbull said he felt “like a baby giraffe” in only his second career relief appearance and first since 2018. He handled it well, allowing only one walk and erasing it with a double-play grounder. He threw mostly sweepers and fastballs but said he hopes to keep using his sinker and curveball to keep them sharp. His velocity ticked slightly upward.

Overall, Turnbull described the experience as “definitely different.” But he’s probably going to have to get used to it, unless the Phillies commit more fully to the pitching piggyback.

What’s Turnbull’s understanding of how he’ll be used?

“I’m not super sure exactly,” he said. “I think we’re all kind of figuring it out as we go. I’m just here to make the most of this opportunity, having a lot of fun being on a winning team. Just give me the ball and I’ll go out there and get outs. I’ll figure it out to the best that I can.”

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The Phillies sold 34,681 tickets for Wednesday’s matinee, even though school is still in session. Through 22 home dates, they have averaged 38,226 fans, third-best in baseball behind the Dodgers and Padres. ... Righty reliever Yunior Marte (shoulder inflammation) began a throwing program and played catch from 90 feet. ... Triple-A catcher Rafael Marchán, sidelined since the middle of spring training with lower back pain, is scheduled to begin playing minor-league games this week, according to Thomson. ... Former Phillies infielder Plácido Polanco threw the ceremonial first pitch. ... After a day off, Ranger Suárez (6-0, 1.72 ERA) will start Friday night in Miami against fellow lefty Trevor Rogers (0-5, 6.15). Marlins lefties Jesús Luzardo and Braxton Garrett are expected to return from the injured list and start Saturday and Sunday, respectively.