There’s been – and will continue to be – a lot of focus on how the Phillies’ young position players are performing (or struggling) early in the season, and that’s important. But ultimately, this team is built around its stars. For the Phillies to reach their goals, their top guys have to lead the way.

That’s exactly what happened Wednesday. Bryce Harper turned an early 0-2 count into a game-changing two-run homer in the seventh inning. Later, with the game tied again, Trea Turner delivered his first home run of the season – a clutch go-ahead shot in the ninth off elite reliever Raisel Iglesias. That swing helped the Phillies avoid a second straight loss to a Braves team that had started the series 1-8.

It also rewarded another solid, if occasionally shaky, spot start from Taijuan Walker. Despite some command issues in the fifth inning, he kept the Braves scoreless through 4 2/3 innings, maintaining a spotless ERA through nearly 11 innings this season — more than the Phillies could’ve hoped for after Ranger Suárez went on the IL.

The bullpen was pushed to the limit, with manager Rob Thomson needing to cobble together the final 4 1/3 innings from a group that’s been inconsistent so far. José Ruiz covered parts of two innings, Joe Ross tried to stretch into a second frame, and José Alvarado was asked to get four outs.

None of it was clean — even Alvarado gave up a couple of base runners before striking out Sean Murphy with a filthy cutter to seal the win.

Offensively, the Phillies struck out 14 times, a surprising stat for one of the league’s most strikeout-averse lineups. Kyle Schwarber whiffed three times, Alec Bohm four (dropping his average to .178), and Brandon Marsh once (now hitting just .143).

Those trends aren’t sustainable — not the strikeout rate, not Walker’s baserunner luck, not the bullpen’s current volatility. But on Wednesday, the Phillies had Harper and Turner when they needed them most. And that was enough.