Trea Turner Finds His Rhythm with a New Approach

PHILADELPHIA -- For one night, things felt normal for Trea Turner.

The Phillies shortstop is mired in the worst start of his 10-year career, hitting .226 with a .627 OPS through his first 38 games. The slump is still there, but Turner finally had a game where he was Trea Turner again.

Turner went 4-for-5 in Saturday's win over the Rockies to raise that average to .244 and the OPS to .655. There's still a long way to go for the reigning NL batting champion, but Saturday night was a step in the right direction.

Less Is More: The Decision to Skip Batting Practice

How did Turner break out of his 0-for-11 slump? He didn't partake in batting practice, not swinging the bat until the game started.

That was Turner's call, but it helped having the advice of Don Mattingly in his ear.

The Mattingly Influence: Saving Bullets for the Game

"Sometimes when you work, and you work, and you work -- but sometimes you gotta take a little step back and realize the swing's there," Mattingly said prior to Sunday's game. "Save your bullets for the game, focus.

Turner took a couple of hundred extra swings prior to Thursday's game in order to figure out what wasn't working. He was swinging on the field at 2 p.m., long before the Phillies were scheduled to take batting practice.

From 200 Swings to Zero: A Complete 180

Going 0-for-6 on Friday night made Turner complete a 180. Change the pregame approach and not swing -- perhaps it would help.

"Think about it. You swing 100 times, and in the game, every one of those swings costs you in that at bat," Mattingly said. "So sometimes you're just narrowing the focus on 'every time I swing it, it's an at bat.'

"When you're working on things, you're trying to break habits and get yourself in good habits. You understand the link and why you swing a lot."

Trusting the Back of the Baseball Card

The 4-hit night was just the start for Turner, hoping it leads to a turnaround of his season. The back of the baseball card says Turner will turn things around, but it's been a long journey towards that.

Mattingly has all the faith that it's going to happen. A simple vote of confidence.

"Sometimes you just take a step back," Mattingly said. "You're ready, you're a good hitter. Just get ready for the game."