Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: Trea Turner is Tired of Hearing about the Division Leading Giants

The Dodgers are coming off a weekend sweep of the Padres, which ideally is what you want your team to do. Now that we’ve got that set in place, here’s the bad part.

They didn’t pick up any ground on the NL West leading San Francisco Giants.



With 18 games to go in the regular season, the Dodgers sit 2.5 games back of the Giants for their ninth straight division crown. Now, this is something that’s been discussed ad nauseam over the last few weeks… how will the Dodgers catch the Giants? Can they do it? Are you guys watching the Giants on the scoreboard?

Trea Turner was asked how the Dodgers can perhaps catch and pass San Francisco in the standings. He wasn’t overly enthused by the question.

“Stop talking about them. I’ve heard so much about the Giants for the last month and a half. You focus on what’s in front of you, and unless you’re playing them, they’re not in front of you.”

Of course, Trea is sort of the new guy here and, well, the Dodgers have a streak of division titles on the line. So, it’s pretty front of mind for folks that have been around for a while. 

More Trea Turner: Trea Turner Still Adjusting to Life at Second Base

Turner did eventually at least offer some praise of the team up north.

“They’ve played some historic baseball — you can’t knock that. It’s not like we haven’t done enough. They’ve just done really well, so you tip your cap, and you keep playing.”

Entering play on Monday, the Dodgers sit at 91-53 with 18 games to play. Barring an unimaginable meltdown, chances are they pass the century mark for wins for the third time in five seasons. LA remains a great team, even with all of the struggles and injuries and, at times, ineffectiveness. The Giants, however, are just having an unexpectedly (but not surprising) great season in 2021.

Those Giants welcome the bruised and battered Padres to Oracle Park for 4 games this week. San Francisco is playing to keep ahead in the west while the Padres are playing to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Dodgers welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks for 3 games.

NEXT: Dave Roberts Optimistic AJ Pollock Returns ‘Much Sooner’ Than Anticipated

Clint Pasillas

Clint Pasillas has been writing, blogging, and podcasting about the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2008. Under Clint's leadership as the Lead Editor, Dodgers Nation has grown into one of the most read baseball sites in the world with millions of unique visitors per month. Find him online on Twitter/X or his YouTube channel!

40 Comments

  1. If Trea had been with the Dodgers from the beginning of the season, they likely would be leading the Giants. He has been far more consistent at the plate than just about anyone else on the team this year.

    1. I’m not so sure. Dave Roberts will still have mismanaged the team and made the same boned headed decisions that has lost games the Dodgers should have one. If they had a more competent field manager in the dugout this wouldn’t a struggle to catch the Giants.

      At least they won the World Series last year. This year? They’ll enjoy watching on their TV.

  2. Bottom line, Trea Turner is SPOT ON! It is fruitless to talk about the Giants lead in NL West, all you can do is take care of business by winning the games you are playing.

    1. Yep. T Turner is right. Just try to win every game. That’s all you can do. It may sound like a cliche but it’s true. The Dodgers need to win just about every one of their remaining games to win the division. Forget the Giants. Play the games.

  3. I agree that the Dodgers need to keep it moving, and I am thrilled with our sweep of the Padres because that is what we have to do. However, there is absolutely no way to get around the fact that The Giants are on top of the NL West (and have the best record in baseball) by a few games, unless we usurp their position. The Dodgers definitely should not ruminate on this, but the Dodgers need to keep playing smart ball so that we are not stuck with that WC. Although I love and focus on my own team, I would be disingenuous if I said that I have not thought about the Padres (who have even more to lose) playing the Giants hard and taking that series. But anyways, “GO DODGERS!”

  4. Completely agree with SoCalBum. It’s like being in a golf match – you need to focus and execute your shot rather than worrying about what your opponent’s shot – tonite the “shot” facing the Dodgers is Arizona – that should be their sole focus

  5. Too bad Turner couldn’t have asked Roberts what he was doing lining up the pitching against the Pares instead of the Giants. Or asking him what he was doing skipping urias a day against the Cards ,then starting his 4- 200 and below hitters. How about playing Will Smith at first when he had never played a game there in his life, and had his best bench players rotting in OKC? But yeah, there’s NO REASON to think about the giants when your Manager completely doesn’t….

    1. Kirk, and in all fairness to Beaty, he’s had 2 AB’s total since getting back here, no starts, and it’s not his fault that he only has 2 k’s to show for it. But it looks like Roberts has pegged him for strictly a PH appearance and that’s it.

      1. Yep Paul, and Beaty looked about as thrilled as any 270 hitter would be wondering how guys hitting 160 are considered more valuable than he is and get starts over him…. Beaty is going to have to demand a trade this coming year. If I were Beaty I’d ask to be let loose, then go join the Giants and win it all…….

    2. You are spot on. Roberts sucks as a manager. His lineups boggle the mind. He leaves his relief pitchers in too long and why the hell is he constantly playing Bellinger ? Wonder how many WS the Dodgers would have won with someone like Larussa managing

      1. Could you imagine what the manager of the Giants would have done if he had the talent the Dodgers have now? Or any competent major league manager?

        It shatters the mind to think about what could have been.

        1. The manager of the Giants used to be in the Dodgers front office. That was a bad take.

  6. Turner is right. Focus on what you do today, not what someone else did yesterday or might do tomorrow. Today is when winning happens!

    If only Bellinger could flatten his swing a little? He is thinks he’s playing golf.

    1. A good quote from Sue Aikens on the Nat Geo series ‘Life Below Zero’ is:
      ‘If ya got 1 foot into yesterday and 1 in tomorrow, then the only place you’re not experiencing is today, and that’s where we need to be’ And that’s where Dodgers need to be.

    2. He has now, about three months too late. We would easily be in first if Cody hadn’t resisted that obvious change for so long.

  7. Clint,

    Great article last week about Roberts resting the big three starters, assuming it will pay off in October. It WILL NOT – if the Dodgers get eliminated in the stupid one game wild card.

  8. The Giants, however, are just having an unexpectedly (but not surprising) great season in 2021. Do you not see the contradiction? Unexpected is the exact opposite as not surprising. How about the Giants are having a very lucky season that no one expected, or predicted? That would be an accurate statement.

    There were so many throw away games this season as always with Doc or however is behind the curtain steering the ship especially early on when they were putting pitchers with little or practically no MLB experience in leverage situations. The relentless double-switches with the pitchers spot in a rally killing position in the middle of the lineup in extras, constantly playing with a shart bench. Sending Kenley out there the day after a meltdown against the Giants to blow a second save in a row because our closer got his feelings hurt after not being selected to the All-Star game.

    It was a perfect storm of our misfortune that put the Giants into this position. Let’s make sure we catch them now by playing relentlessly and stop resting stars down the stretch run.

    1. “How about the Giants are having a very lucky season that no one expected, or predicted? That would be an accurate statement.”

      No one expected – correct. No one predicted – correct. Lucky – incorrect. It’s not possible to play .650 BB via the Luck card. Luck’s good for a couple of games, not a full season.

  9. Maybe it would be best to look at it this way….wouldn’t it be better to overtake the Giants in the last week of the regular season, than to blow the lead the last week of the season? Maybe it would be best to not let the team know in advance that the Giants got lucky and won another in the 9th, than have them play w/ more pressure to win in knowing that they must or loose another in the standings. What’s a real drag is that which ever team does go into the wildcard, they will be playing the Padres, who will be close to 20 games out of 1st in the division. Hardly seems right.

    1. Either way you slice it, we will have to beat the Vagiants in a series ..One way to look at it is the Vagiants never saw Sherzer, and never saw our big 3 in consecutive games. The Vagiants also never saw our strongest line up ( all thanks to roberts) and the Bauer situation and injuries. So if Roberts has anyother line up than Betts-Muncy-Turner-Turner-Seager-Smith-Taylor-Pollock-pitcher for EVERY playoff game, then we will know Roberts is not only the stupidist manager ever, but also the most self indulgent person on Earth….

      1. Spot on! Hope he can finally stop playing favorites with some players and puts the best lineup out for the best chance to win the game because Dodgers can’t really afford to lose any more games since Giants don’t appear to be losing any games for now.

  10. Got lucky to win in the 9th . Luck is where preparation meets opportunity. This isn’t a 60 game season it’s 162 and although your team is bought and paid for you just cant stand to lose to the orange and black . Lucky that’ll be the day . Go pound sand and go the mighty giants !

    1. Glad to see that you, as a Giants fan, are so invested in the Dodgers’ that you felt compelled to comment on Dodgersnation. What you failed to note, in your futile attempt to berate our 2020 World Series win, is that a.) your Giants sure weren’t able to win last year’s “60 game season” or play in the post season for that matter and b.) the Dodgers are very familiar with successfully playing 162 game seasons and frequently placing at the top of our Division and MLB. Regardless, I must say that I do genuinely find the “mighty Giants'” veteran players’ sudden resurgence of home run hitting and power absolutely… amazing…and must agree that luck likely has nothing to do with it. Kick rocks.
      Go Dodgers!!!

      1. BMcP, 2020 even though it was a 60 game season, the Dodgers won the most games in all of MLB under the toughest conditions playing thru the Pandemic that was capable of de-railing any team’s chances of competing due to a Covid 19 outbreak within the organization. It was the toughest WS to win because any sort of loosing streaks during that year more than 7 or 8 games and chances of getting to PS were slim and none.

      2. Your sandwich is dodger blue. Spoiled like the team that won’t catch or make the World series. Take a backseat bums.The dodgeball nation isn’t even original. Beat L A now that fits.

        1. The regular season is not over yet and although I know you are not used to success during the regular season, no matter how well the Giants’ are playing, the Giants have not yet won the Division or the World Series.

          But I will give you this….the Giants’ regular season, complete with a sudden and synchronic resurgence of veteran players’ power hitting, has been unbelievable and was not something that even professional baseball analysts logically anticipated.

  11. For, MANY, MANY, years I have got tired “of hearing about the Gnats.” It is in my Dodgers-blue blood.

  12. Maybe they should have beaten the Giants when they had to throw three bullpen games vs Urías, Beuhler, and Scherzer. Whose fault is that?

  13. when is roberts going to take kenely out of stopper situations ab put in treinen. ,grateral , kelly, bickford, any one is better than jansen sory iknow hes a nice man but that is not going to do it for us

  14. I THINK IT IS A SHAME THAT URIAS IS NOT THE LEAD CANDIDATE. HE WOULD HAVE 20+ WINS EXCEPT FOR THE BULL PEN. WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK OF A PITCHER. HE HAS BEEN THE MOST CONSISTENT ALL YEAR.

    NOT TAKING AWAY ANYTHING FROM THE OTHERS, BUT MY VOTE WOULD GO TO URIAS.

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