Justin Turner helped the Los Angeles Dodgers open their homestand with a 3-1 win over the San Diego Padres that extended their lead in the National League West standings to 2.5 games.
Turner was the Dodgers’ only source of offense as he hit two home runs off Padres starter Joe Musgrove. “I was just really trying to get him up in the zone,” Turner explained after the game.
“Been grinding through some stuff and feeling like I’ve been getting pretty close to breaking out. Getting results felt pretty good.”
Turner started his night with a game-tying solo home run in the second inning, then hit a go-ahead two-run blast in the seventh. It was Turner’s first multi-home run game since Sept. 7, 2021, and the 13th of his career.
“It’s good to get results,” Turner began. “I’m not going up there trying to hit homers. I’m trying to put together a good at-bat and hit the ball hard somewhere. Got a couple pretty good that went over the fence.”
Turner has struggled as a whole this season, but he is beginning to put better swings on the ball. Over his last seven games, the 37-year-old is batting .360 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI.
“Not really sure,” Turner answered when asked to explain his recent turnaround. “Obviously there’s tinkering going on every day and all kinds of work.
“I got here today and did a few things with Rob (Van Scoyoc) in the cage that I think really kind of pushed me over the edge. I’ll show up tomorrow and continue to do that stuff. Hopefully it continues to carry over.”
Roberts: Turner trending in ‘right direction’
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has long felt Turner would turn a corner and was happy to see it come to fruition against the Padres.
“He’s been trending in the right direction for quite some time, in my opinion, as far as looking over the baseball, being on time for the heater,” Roberts said. “To see it come to pass, we needed every bit of it. He’s trending in the right direction.”
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