Dodgers: Justin Turner Reveals What Has Been Working During LA’s Win Streak
The Dodgers came into the season expected to have their way with the rest of the league. I mean, they were fresh off of a championship season and seemingly got better in the offseason with the addition of Trevor Bauer, among others.
This was a powerhouse before the first pitch of the year was even thrown.
However, the recent skid that saw the Dodgers lose five consecutive series certainly threw a wrench in their plans, but they’ve come out of it better than ever. After extending their win streak to 8 games against the Astros on Tuesday, Justin Turner addressed what has changed for this team during their turnaround.
It just seems like we’re doing a good job right now of finding ways to win games and not finding ways to give them away. It was obviously a rough couple of weeks there where we weren’t getting good results. Whether it was not making a pitch or not getting a big hit or not making a play on defense.. it just seemed like it was game after game, you know, finding ways to give them away. And now it feels like we’re back, process oriented and doing little things to win ballgames.
Related: Dave Roberts Doesn’t Believe Fans Will Let the Narrative Surrounding Astros Die
While the Dodgers have collectively found their stride, however, Justin Turner has been slumping after a hot start to the year. Over the course of the team’s winning streak, he only had one hit prior to Tuesday night’s game.
He wasted no time turning that around though, as he gave his team the early 2-0 lead after obliterating a 68MPH pitch from former Dodger Zack Grienke.
Dodgers strike first! ?
Justin Turner with a 2-run blast in Houston pic.twitter.com/2b5MrDyZe6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 26, 2021
Justin ended the night going 2-5, including the home run that began the scoring. After the game, he acknowledged that while most of his struggles were due to bad luck, he could feel the tide beginning to turn in his favor once more.
I’ve been feeling a lot better. I feel like I’m taking good at-bats and [getting] quality contact, hitting balls and just haven’t really been getting rewarded. So it felt good to get a couple good results tonight, help drive in some runs and get a victory.
Final Thoughts
Not including the stretch of 5 series, the Dodgers are a whopping 26-5 on the season. And while you can’t just ignore how terrible they looked during that stretch, this is a better indicator of what to expect for the remainder of the season.
The fact that this team has been able to stay within a half-game of the best record in baseball while missing the likes of Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, and Brusdar Graterol among others should tell you everything you need to know. The National League had a chance to pull away while the Dodgers dealt with injuries. Now, the reigning champs are reloading and looking to make them pay.
NEXT: Justin Turner Poses in Front of a Trash Can in Houston
