Well before Walker Buehler finished off a second career complete game with his 15th and final strikeout of the night, he was provided a lead thanks to Justin Turner lifting a solo home run over the wall in left-center field in the fourth inning.
Turner later provided insurance with a run-scoring single and had a game-high two RBI in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 4-1 win over the San Diego Padres. “It felt good,” Turner said of the home run.
“Got a breaking ball down in the zone, kind of rode it out, stayed through it and was able to elevate it. Got just enough of it to be a homer and save my hamstrings from having to run out a double. … I hit it good.”
The home run was Turner’s 17th of the season and seventh since the All-Star break. In 21 games (19 starts) during that stretch, Turner has seen slight dips in his batting average and on-base percentage when compared to season totals, but has a .603 slugging percentage.
“J.T., his mind is just different than most players,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted. He referenced Turner uncharacteristically striking out three times in Friday’s loss. Though when the Dodgers were down to their final out, Turner pulled a single into left field.
“Didn’t panic, got a big base hit,” Roberts said. “And then comes in fresh and recharged and has a really nice night. The at-bat quality never wavers.”
Turner’s power surge in the second half of the season saw him reach 100 career home runs with the Dodgers just over one week ago. More recently, his blast during the Freeway Series provided Turner with an opportunity to recognize a special guest he hosted.
As the Dodgers won seven of their first 10 games during the unofficial second half of the season, Turner produced four multi-hit efforts, with five doubles during that span. He credited the key hitting to recent mechanical changes that he regularly completes throughout the course of any season.
