Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: Justin Turner Doesn’t Care About Where Team is in Standings

Justin Turner and the Dodgers’ offense continue to struggle. Milwaukee Brewers starter Eric Lauer was the latest lefty to shutdown the LA offense in a 2-1 victory for the Brew Crew. The Dodgers have lost eight of their last eleven and continue to look anemic on offense.

Seemingly no one in the lineup is swinging a hot bat. In spite of that, Turner believes they’re still doing the right things in the batter’s box. Positive results just haven’t consistently happened.

Yet.

“[A] little bit of bad luck is definitely in there. We’re hitting a lot of balls hard and not getting rewarded for it which makes it tough to feel confident. You hit a ball hard and you don’t get rewarded for it. That can fester a little bit. … You just understand that you’re taking good at-bats and eventually they’ll find those holes and we’ll be able to pass the baton like we’re used to.”

In those eleven games, the Dodgers are averaging 3.45 runs per game. After hitting over .400 through mid-April, Turner’s average has dropped to .344. He has one extra-base hit since April 19th. Everyone, even a prolific hitter like Turner, is scuffling offensively. Even if only a bit.

A meager offense output also puts a ton of strain on the pitching staff. Not to mention a depleted bullpen that’s missing high leverage arms in Corey Knebel and David Price.

No Extra Motivation Needed

After Thursday night’s loss, the Dodgers fell out of first place in the National League West for the first time since April 3rd. With that, Turner was asked if the team will find extra motivation this week now that they’re out of first place. 

“We show up everyday expecting to win a ball game so it doesn’t matter where we’re at in the standings. Doesn’t change what we’re trying to do on a day-to-day basis.”

To Turner’s point, there’s plenty of baseball left to be played. Rather than stewing on their struggles, the Dodgers and their offense need to take it one game at a time. The hits will fall sooner or later.

Dodgers News: Cody Bellinger Could See Time at Triple-A When the Minor League Season Starts

Eric Eulau

Born and raised in Ventura, not "Ven-CH-ura", California. Favorite Dodger Stadium food is the old school chocolate malt with the wooden spoon. Host of the Dodgers Nation 3 Up, 3 Down Podcast.

31 Comments

  1. Any good LH pitcher will shut this offense down. No RH hitter and no real closer will doom this team.

    1. Exactly, Dodger 1955. And all Roberts has to respond to those is excuses! In all honesty, unless some miracle happens, the Dodgers 8 year Dovision Title run will be coming to an end this year. 2012 here we come.

    2. didn’t doom the Dodgers last year! Guess Turner, Smith, Pollock and Betts aren’t decent RH bats. as for closer, not needed. we won it all last year without a closer, we can do it again.

      1. We won it all last year because we were bad against LHP. Roberts had less decisions to make in regards to pitching moves AND Dodgers had an extra bat in the lineup with the DH instead of the pitcher batting. Dodgers won because they only had to compete against NL WEST and AL WEST teams. The bottom half of last year lineup was somewhat more productive than what we’ve seen so far this year. Dodgers are facing for the most part tougher teams this year outside the NL West. And last year, the team never went through a tough stretch of games that are going through at the present time.

        1. I never buy into the hype. We started the year beating up on a Colorado team that is pure garbage, then beat the A’s when they were struggling, finally the Mediocre Nats…but when it came time to play our nemesis, we won 3 of 7 and two of the three wins could have gone either way. I think the Pads wore our blue guys down physically and emotionally…especially after blowing a six run lead. Time to look in the mirror guys and stow the excuses. We ar,e not hitting bombs like we were last year and the offensive repercussion is inconsistency.

      2. I am an avid Dodgers’ fan too, but I am also a realist. What we were able to sustain, despite our weaknesses, during a shortened season is likely more difficult to do in a regular season. No one said we do not already have a few strong RH bats; we just could benefit from another or a competent switch hitter. A closer is not needed when we watch the bull pen unable to effectively shut down innings and/or lose games after a starter has pitched a good game? Respectfully, I must (and do) disagree. Regardless, I remain a believer and say, “GO DODGERS!”

        1. Good points here Barb McP. The team as a whole is struggling against LHP. And truth be told, a closer is needed and one can only hope the other relievers before don’t tank before he gets into the game. And besides Jansen last year, Dodgers had a few others step up to close games when it was obvious Jansen wasn’t the top closer he was a few years before last year. Urias closed out both the NLCS and WS last year.

  2. Turner doesn’t need to worry about the standings until September. Right now bigger concern is like Dodger1955 says is that any LHP can shut this offense down. Teams will be scouting beer softball league teams for LHP’s to sign before Dodgers come to town.

    1. That’s exactly what I thought when I read this morning that a reliever will start the game and Roberts sure doesn’t care if they win so a 2-1 score right now will be just enough to lose it and blame it on the “SLUMP”
      What a BS!!!!!??

    2. Threw a BP game and sat Betts on scheduled day off. It’s like Bauer pitching with one eye closed.

  3. Before this season started, and actually during our last season or two, Dodgers fans wrote about acquiring RH hitters and the closer role. Here we are…and as much as I do not want to, I must agree that right now “any good LH pitcher will (and has) shut this offense down.” It is a shame when starters pitch very good games and the offense does not manufacture sufficient runs and/or our bull pen struggles to shut a few innings down. Still, I love this team and will continue to hope for the best. GO DODGERS!

  4. The Dodgers aren’t hitting well right now. That’s a given. But they are also leaving small armies of runners on base, and that’s a bigger problem. These guys need a small ball mentality really badly. When you have runners on 1B and 2B with no outs, lay down a bunt down instead of swinging for the fence. Manufacture some runs. Walks are not just set ups for home runs. Advance the runner. Smith is hitting the ball hard. They will start to fall in the right places soon. Betts didn’t hit lefties well last year despite being an RHB.
    This year he isn’t hitting anyone well. Yet. Drop some bunts and steal some bases. Score on some sac flies. When everyone starts mashing it again, you can go back to free swinging home run or strike out mentality. But right now just give the SPs 4 or 5 manufactured runs and we will win games.

    1. Career stats come first for them. A lot of them know they have the talent to make lots of money. Hopefully towards the end of the year and of course in October they play as a team when stats don’t matter

    2. Bunting is a thing of the past. Statistics show that a team is more likely to score with a man on first and no outs than with a man on second and 1 out. Giving up an out to move a baserunner over isn’t worth it.

      1. Statistics show that swinging for the fence and striking out doesn’t bring in any runs.

  5. If they have a no concern and whatever attitude now, it can steamroll and eventually end up hard to stop. You say it’s a long season but blowing close games or not driving in the run that could have won that game can all put you that 1 game behind winning the division at the end. Getting in by a 1 game wildcard playoff is a crapshoot you don’t want. So staying on top and holding your own destiny is much better than chasing and hoping for the best.

    1. baseball is a delicate mind-numbing game. the best hitters fail 2 out of 3 at bats!! So when you hear doc or a player talk in a way that doesn’t connote urgency or anxiety, it’s baseball’s way of staying calm. Don’t get too high and don’t get too low.

  6. Too many of our hitters overswing tring to hit homers. Keeping your head still as you swing helps a hitter make more consistent contact. More contact should lead to more hits and hopefully runs.
    The bullpen is just not good. We miss Gonsolin and now also Price and Knebel are also on DL. We need to get some of those guys healthy as I don’t think any team in either league will be open to dealing bullpen help without making the Dodgers overpay.

    1. and that has been the case for how many years now? The Dodgers are who they are and will get back to being themselves when we get some injured players back, get Betts back to hitting, and let the game come to them, as they did Wednesday at home shellacking the Reds 8-0. This tram is a BETTER team than last year’s World Champions. Give it time – they’ll be fine

  7. Dodgers suffer from the same problem as always. Won’t bunt, hit and run,steal bases. The 3rd basemen will be playing 2nd base,no one on the left side of the diamond with a runner on 1st and the Dodgers wont bunt for a hit. They once again picked up reclamation projects instead of finding a closer. Didn’t find a second basemen after letting Kike’ walk which would have somewhat answered the right handed problem. Lux is a bust and so is Price, they better trade fora right handed bat or a closer or we’ll be watching this all season.

  8. What happened to the team mantra, “Just go out and win every series.” Dodgers need a team leader, like Justin Turner, to stay with the same focus that has worked so well. “Taking good at-bats is just too vague and does not give the top priority to winning.

  9. Turner didn’t say he doesn’t care about where the Dodgers are in the standings. He said it doesn’t matter, and he’s exactly right. Please stop putting words in someone else’s mouth. Report the new accurately without varnish, please!

  10. My word, the negativity on here is like cancer. You’d think the Dodgers are cellar dwellers. Baseball is and always will be a cyclic able game. They’ve struggled and are still over 500, still easily within reach of playoff spot and or divisional title. Bellinger going down hasn’t helped. I believe the Dodgers will finish strong and take title again. How they do in playoffs will depend on late trades and health of team.
    Bright side of injuries is that new guys are getting experience and confidence, that will only pay dividends later. My predictions at this point are
    Winning Division- 85%
    Winning NL- 70%
    Winning WD- 40%

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button