Perhaps no one has been more important to the Los Angeles Dodgers offense in recent years than Justin Turner. He’s regularly come up with one clutch hit after another and provided a calming and steady presence in the lineup.
That was again the case on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field when Turner hit a solo home run to break a 7-7 tie in the 11th inning, powering the Dodgers to a sweep of the New York Mets.
Turner was just 1-for-9 in the first two games of the series before coming off the bench and going 1-for-2 with the big home run on Sunday.
Being the professional hitter that he is, Turner realized he has been struggling of late. That led to a sense of personal relief that his big hit helped the Dodgers end their road trip with a victory, via Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
“It felt good to just hit a ball on the barrel,” Turner said. “It was a rough weekend. Take a big swing to get us out of here on a high note, and back to L.A.”
Turner hasn’t looked like his usual self so far this season, which can be attributed to the fractured wrist that he suffered while being hit by a pitch during Spring Training that caused him to miss a better part of the first two months.
In 31 games this season, Turner is hitting .241/.325/.380 with three home runs and 12 RBI. Despite his struggles though, his presence has definitely been felt, with the Dodgers going 21-10 in games Turner has appeared in.
The Dodgers offense has already been among the best in the league in recent weeks, but it can even reach another level once Turner is fully healthy and producing at his normal rate. He’s still working to overcome lingering soreness in the fractured left wrist.
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