Through the early goings of the season the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offense was surprisingly receiving a bulk of its contributions from young players while multiple veterans got off to slow starts. That’s since changed with Howie Kendrick and Justin Turner joining Corey Seager as driving forces.
Both Kendrick and Turner have been among the league leaders since the All-Star break in several offensive categories. After warming up in June, Turner is batting a blistering .333/.398/.679 with six doubles, seven home runs and 19 RBIs over 19 games in July.
With 18 home runs on the season, Turner has already surpassed the career-high 16 homers he hit last year. He’s joined by Kendrick who enters play against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday riding a 16-game hitting streak.
Although he’s in the midst of an impressive stretch, Kendrick said the hitting streak isn’t something he’s focused on, according to Doug Padilla of ESPN:
“I’m not really worried about whether I’m locked in or not, as long as we’ve been winning games,” Kendrick said. “It just seems like me and [Turner] were the two guys that were lagging behind most of the season, but he’s been swinging well and I’ve just been trying to follow him.”
Kendrick trails only Seager’s 19-game hitting streak this season for the team-high. Over the stretch, the second baseman turned utility man is batting .394/.459/.636 with seven doubles, three home runs and nine RBIs.
The 33-year-old has raised his overall slash line to .274/.334/.395 with 43 runs scored, 16 doubles and six home runs.
