Newcomers Turnbull, Pinto ‘exactly what we needed’

>> With a show of Bryce Harper greatness and a heavy dose of Planes, Trails and Automobiles dramedy, the Phillies broke out of a first-week malaise Tuesday and finally posted the kind of victory to which their fans have become accustomed.

Start with the heroics of Harper, who rather than allow his 0-for-11, 5-strikeout start distract him, focused on his innate penchant the supernatural. Harper’s three-homer game fired the Phillies to a 9-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds that in the long run will be lost in the season shuffle, but for the time being takes on an air of reboot, one the Phillies seemed to need so early in the season.

“You have to balance it; you can’t lose your mind over losing a couple of games early,” manager Rob Thomson said after his club improved to 2-3. “Make sure you’re not panicking; make sure you’re not putting people in spots where they’re going to get hurt because of overplaying them.”

To that latter point, Thomson essentially addressed his pitching situation. With ongoing staff injuries — relievers Michael Rucker, Dylan Covey, Orion Kerkering and Luis Ortiz, and starter Taijuan Walker – and some very shaky losses on the field requiring overuse of his healthy bullpen arms, Thomson knew he was in a bit of a fix as Tuesday dawned after a bad loss the night before.

The solution? Thomson would start Spencer Turnbull, he of the American League-leading 17 losses in 2019, and who due to injuries had pitched in all of 16 games over the previous three years in Detroit. Turnbull signed on with the Phils in February (one year, $2 million). He started one game out of four spring training appearances, yet here he was, starting against the Reds without much of a bullpen available to support him.

Yet Turnbull, 31, was terrific over five innings, allowing only an unearned run while limiting the Reds to three hits and no walks, with seven strikeouts.

Even more surprising was the relief help. That came in the person of Ricardo Pinto, who began his day in Rochester, N.Y. with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, spent a good chunk of it in a hired car because the Phillies couldn’t get a plane for him, sweated through heavy traffic on the Turnpike near Allentown, and after arriving to Citizens Bank Park in the fourth inning Tuesday night, had little time to rest. Thomson said Wednesday that a contract was run out to Pinto to sign, that he got dressed, tossed to get loose and was warming to get into the game all within about 20 minutes.

“It’s truly been a long day,” he said later through an translator. “I drove over five hours today. I got in late during the game but my mind was ready to pitch today. I feel ready for the opportunity.”

Pinto, 30, last pitched for the Phillies in 2017 and hadn’t pitched in the bigs since a two-game relief stint with Tampa Bay in 2019. He has had minor league flirtations with the Phils, White Sox, Rays, Giants and Tigers, along with short stays with SK Wyverns in South Korea in 2019, the Rakuten

Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in 2022 and Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League last season.

All that, and the ride from Rochester, too. Pinto was here only because Connor Brogdon had been designated for assignment earlier in the day. Who could have figured Pinto would end the day with a four-inning stint (5 hits, 2 earned runs, 4 strikeouts), good for his first major league save?

“I did think I was going to get back here,” said Pinto, whose best pro memories were with a 96-loss Phillies team who went through a score and thensome of pitchers in 2017. “I never gave up on this. I feel mentally I’m in a better position than I was before; I did not have that maturity on the mound mentally before. That’s something I want to tell the young players in the minors. It’s about getting control of the mental side and you can do our job by getting better at that.”

“I think he’s fearless,” Thomson said. “He really is. And I think if has a bad outing, I don’t think it’s going to affect him one bit. Dusty (Watham) had him in the minor leagues, and he said he wants to pitch every day. He doesn’t care, he just wants to pitch.”

If and when things return to normal, Pinto can get that chance to relate his story to his minor league teammates. For now, though, he can savor a most unusual Phillies fable.

“Just the way it worked out it was exactly what we needed, you know?” Thomson said. “Turnbull gives us five (innings), Pinto gives us four, we score some runs, Harper had a big night ... just a good all-around win.”