Phillies pondering ways to keep Spencer Turnbull pitching in a multi-inning role

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Spencer Turnbull was charged with two earned runs in 5⅓ innings Tuesday night, leaving his ERA at 1.67, fourth-best in the National League.

Could he really be leaving the Phillies’ starting rotation?

It appears that way. Well, sort of.

Zack Wheeler started the series finale Wednesday in Anaheim, and Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez, Taijuan Walker, and Cristopher Sánchez are slated to start the next four games against the Giants, manager Rob Thomson said. The Phillies haven’t announced anything beyond that other than that they won’t use six starters.

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But while Thomson mostly played coy about the next turn through the rotation, he dropped a hint about the plans for Turnbull, noting that it “makes some sense” to use him in a “piggyback” with another starter, likely Sánchez.

The idea: Sánchez hypothetically starts and pitches, say, five innings before being relieved by Turnbull, who could go three or four innings. It might work the other way around, too, depending on whether the composition of the opposing lineup favors starting a lefty (Sánchez) or a righty (Turnbull). Thomson said it’s “absolutely” a consideration.

“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. “You could do it that way. The next time around, maybe you start [the other] guy, and he gets five.”

It would be an unusual experiment, but it would enable the Phillies to keep Turnbull in a multi-inning role — and while he’s still pitching effectively, no less — in anticipation of the likelihood that they will need him to be a full-fledged starter again later in the season.

Has Thomson piggybacked starters previously?

“Not in the big leagues,” he said. “I’ve done a lot in the minor leagues. But the games don’t mean what they mean here, so that feel and what happens to those guys mentally and emotionally, that’s important.”

How might splitting a starter impact the effectiveness of two pitchers — presumably Turnbull and Sánchez?

“Don’t know,” Thomson said.

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The Phillies likely will finalize their plans Friday, according to Thomson. If they go with the piggyback arrangement, Turnbull, who threw a season-high 98 pitches against the Angels, would have five days’ rest before following Sánchez in Monday’s game at home against the Giants.

Turnbull gave up a solo homer to Zach Neto and little else Tuesday night in the Phillies’ 7-5 comeback over the Angels. After the game, he said he hadn’t been informed yet when he will pitch again.

“I’ll just do my normal routine the next couple days,” Turnbull said. “I’m sure they’ll talk to me as the week goes on. Definitely really pleased and excited. The team’s rolling and it’s a lot of fun.

“I think the biggest confidence booster is just that I’ve been able to go deep into games. That was the only question mark, just as a starter. But stuff-wise and getting results, the confidence has been there.”

Turnbull missed much of the last three seasons with the Tigers because of myriad injuries, including all of 2022 after Tommy John elbow surgery. He pitched only 57 innings last year. But Thomson said the Phillies aren’t overly concerned about Turnbull’s workload.

“We don’t put a number [of innings] on a guy anymore, just because of the way we can measure fatigue,” Thomson said. “It comes up in extension, arm angle, spin rate, velocity. The reason we used to put numbers on it — if you went 100 innings one year, you’re only going 140 the next — is because we didn’t really know. And now with these ways of gauging it, we know better.

“I don’t think we’re really holding back on him at this point at all.”

But the Phillies also don’t want to use a six-man rotation because it will result in too much rest for Wheeler, Nola, and Suárez. Wheeler, in particular, prefers to pitch on normal rest.

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The piggyback scenario could be a compromise.

“If they continue to pitch well,” Thomson said, “I think it will work out extremely well if that’s the way we go.”

Thomson, like most managers, plans out lineups a few days in advance to aid players’ preparation. At the beginning of the series against the Angels, he told Johan Rojas that he wouldn’t start the finale.

It didn’t matter, then, that Rojas hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the ninth inning Tuesday night.

Did Rojas ask into the lineup after his big homer?

“No,” Thomson said, smiling. “Maybe in five years. Not right now.”

Further, Kyle Schwarber made his first start of the season in left field, a move that allowed Trea Turner to be the designated hitter. Turner played every inning of the season’s first 31 games at shortstop.

Thomson said he’s hoping to give Nick Castellanos a similar rest before the end of next week. Castellanos has started every game so far in right field.

Schwarber has moved better on the bases after dealing with a sore knee for much of last season. Thomson believes it will translate into improved defense when he plays left field, too. “He’s in great shape,” Thomson said. “I don’t know what he did, but like, he’s cut. He looks good.” ... After a day off, Nola (4-1, 3.20 ERA) will start Friday night at home against Giants righty Jordan Hicks (2-0, 1.59).