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Trea Turner Still Optimistic After Phillies' Horrendous Astros Series

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matthew Sullivan | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies just came off one of the worst series they've had in a long time. After three games against the Houston Astros, the offense only managed one run. It was made even worse that the pitching was incredible, allowing just five runs across all three games.

It was a horrendous series, and yet, Phillies shortstop Trea Turner, in an article from Matt Gelb of The Athletic, is still optimistic about this team. Despite the bad series and the rough year offensively, Turner has a positive outlook.

"We can improve in quite a few areas," Turner said. "We can play some better baseball. I don't think we've played our best baseball. I kind of like that."

While, in the moment, this comment from Turner isn't the greatest, there's a good reason for that optimism. In 2024, the Phillies started strong and looked like the best team in baseball. But, right before the All-Star break, cracks began to show.

Once they returned from the All-Star festivities, the Phillies struggled the rest of the way. The writing was on the wall for their postseason series against the Mets, and the Phillies fell out of the postseason despite having one of their best regular seasons in recent years.

That 2024 team had very little they could improve upon. This year's team is vastly different. There are a lot of issues that need to be resolved, which opens the door for improvement. That's what's exciting, Turner, the ability to improve despite being 0.5 games back of the New York Mets for the NL East.

"We've had some injuries here and there," Turner said. "We're still in a spot to win the division. I don't really know the standings, but before coming here, we were in first place. So if you had told me that two, three months ago, I would take that."

While the news stings for the Phillies, especially after such a terrible series in Houston, there is reason to be optimistic. The Phillies are still fighting for the NL East lead despite their offense disappearing. Bryce Harper is still hurt, and the rest of the lineup is struggling.

The only thing working is the starting rotation. If the Phillies can figure it out on offense, there will be few teams that they wouldn't have a strong chance against come the postseason.

Turner is optimistic despite the terrible series. But, with the circumstances surrounding the team, it's not hard to see why he's optimistic. There's plenty of room to improve, and yet, the Phillies are right behind the Mets for the NL East title.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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