The Phillies played “Beat the Rain” on Saturday. While they were at it, they also beat the New York Mets. The Phils rode Kyle Schwarber’s MLB-leading 33rd home run to an early lead and never trailed in notching a 6-1 win at muggy Citizens Bank Park. Jesus Luzardo pitched five innings and allowed just one run before exiting with a three-run lead after 90 pitches. The bullpen trio of Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado and Chase Shugart combined on four scoreless innings to close it out. For the day, Phillies pitching allowed only three hits and walked just two. Schwarber clubbed a two-run homer in the first inning against Mets lefty Sean Manaea. The Phillies sustained their offense with two runs in the fifth and two in the sixth. Shortstop/leadoff man Trea Turner’s game was a microcosm of his play in recent weeks. He committed an error for the second game in a row, giving him 14 on the season. He also homered for the second straight game. The Phillies entered the day with the third-worst on-base percentage (.303) in the majors, but getting runners on base was not a problem in this one. They had 12 hits and walked five times. Bryce Harper, who had a two-run single, was also hit by a pitch. Turner had two infield hits and a walk to go with his 12th homer. He scored three runs. He is hitting .311 (32 for 103) with five home runs over his last 25 games. “Trea is in a good spot,” manager Don Mattingly said. “When he’s going, it gets a lot easier for us offensively. It puts speed on the bases. It puts them in pressure spots. “He’s controlling the zone a little better where he’s getting the ball in the zone. Three hits and a line out today. He’s one of those guys that gets all kinds of different hits and then you see the explosion, too, the doubles and the balls out of the ballpark.” As for Turner’s defense … The flaws are still worrisome, but they get a little easier to tolerate when he’s helping produce runs. “You’re going to get some hops here and there,” Mattingly said. “That one (in the second inning behind Luzardo) looked like it was a little nasty. He’ll continue to work and keep getting better.” Turner works daily on his defense with infield coach Bobby Dickerson. “I just need to read the ball better,” he said. “Physically, I feel good. The last few mistakes I’ve made have just been judgement on a hop I think I’m going to get and then the second or third hop is not exactly what I envision and I just put myself in a bad spot.” Turner won his second NL batting title at .304 last season. This season has been mostly a struggle. After bottoming out and seeing his batting average dip to .216 and his on-base percentage plummet to .268 on June 15, he is up to .241 and .290 — not great, but certainly better than where he was. In the heat of a pennant race, the Phillies need Turner’s bat to continue to warm. “I feel like I’ve been hitting the ball pretty good for the last month,” he said. “The last 10 games or so I’ve been lining out quite a bit, which is frustrating. I even lined out today again. But I need to stay where I am. Don’t change anything. I feel like the at-bats have been pretty good for the most part. I’m taking a couple of walks here and there. So, continue to just get on base. Find a way to get on first base for the guys behind me and good things happen.” Turner was quite introspective talking about his season at the plate. He mentioned that the analytics show he was pitched extremely tough – right on the corners, he said – through the first half of the season. “But it doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s all about production. I’m not the prettiest player. I don’t do everything perfect. I just find a way to help the team. It might be a swinging bunt. It might be chasing a ball off the plate and hitting a double down the right field line. Who knows. I feel like when I try to be perfect, it sets me back. I just have to be who I am.” The start time of Saturday’s game was moved up an hour to 3:05 p.m. in anticipation of stormy weather. The entire game seemed like a race against the rain, which started in the top of the seventh inning and intensified in the bottom of the inning, forcing a 48-minute delay. Early in the game, Luzardo battled a high pitch count, which led to his exit after five innings. The Phillies are 11-1 in his last 12 starts and he’s pitched to a 2.01 ERA over that span. The Phils and Mets have split the first two games of the series. Alan Rangel will start for the Phillies in the series finale Sunday. Nolan McLean pitches for the Mets. Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler will start Monday and Tuesday, respectively, when the Phils host the Los Angeles Dodgers. ...read more read less