Justin Turner hit a home run Thursday night for a second consecutive game, giving him four so far this season and surpassing the total he’d previously hit throughout his career in the months of March/April.
Turner historically has found his power swing in May, as he entered this year with three career homers in March/April, hitting one each during the 2015, 2017 and 2019 seasons. “I just feel good, I’m comfortable,” Turner said after matching that total this year.
“I felt good in my work in the cage before the game. I just feel good.”
Turner’s third long ball of the season was unique in that it landed in the nachos of a fan who was in a Home Run Seat at Dodger Stadium. “I saw it kind of splatter up, and when they went to look at it and showed the replay, I saw it was nachos,” Turner said.
“I came up in the clubhouse and asked Javy if he could run that guy out a new tray of nachos. I felt bad. I’m sure it was not a $2 plate of nachos, so I wanted to replace them.”
While the 36-year-old has more than doubled his career home run total to begin a season, it has not been a focus. “I’m not trying to hit a bunch of homers,” Turner noted. “I’m just trying to take good at-bats and hit balls hard somewhere.
“A couple of them have gone over the fence already, so that’s nice.”
The early power surge further validates Turner’s stance when questions were raised if his weight loss through the Whole30 diet would impact production on the field. “I feel like I’m in a good spot,” he said during Spring Training.
“Obviously, if I don’t come out hitting a bunch of homers there will probably be everyone trying to equate it to, ‘Oh I lost weight, so I lost my power.’ But I don’t think that’s the case. I feel like I’m trending in the right direction right now.”
Turner’s four home runs lead the Dodgers and are one ahead of both Zach McKinstry and Max Muncy. He additionally is first on the team with 14 RBI and a 1.321 on-base plus slugging percentage.
Turner: Dodgers ‘well-rounded’
Despite opening at Coors Field, the Dodgers collectively were slow to begin slugging home runs this season, and their first was an inside-the-parker by McKinstry.
“Come on, media. You guys should love this,” Turner joked at the time. “We’re not just relying on the home run ball. How many times have we heard that in the past? This is a well-rounded offense that can beat you in a lot of ways. It’s not just about sitting back and hitting homers.”
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