Justin Turner's timely turnaround is boosting Dodgers into postseason

When Justin Turner signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014, he was looking for any playing time he could get. The New York Mets had just released him after three below-average years, and Turner’s hometown team took a flyer on him.

In subsequent seasons, Turner would overhaul his swinging mechanics and become not only one of the best players on the Dodgers but one of the best hitters in the majors.

From June 30 through Sept. 13, Turner is hitting .371/.440/.616, good for a 1.057 OPS, second only to Yankees slugger Aaron Judge during that span. Turner is also putting the ball in play more, dropping his strikeout percentage from 17.5% to 14.7%. The power isn’t what it used to be, but Turner has hit nine homers over his hot streak.

From 2015-21, Turner had an OPS of .832 or higher, with his two best seasons spanning from 2017-18, when he had a .945 and .924 OPS, respectively. Turner has also become synonymous with clutch in October. 

Turner has 13 postseason home runs, tied with Corey Seager for the most in Dodgers history. Turner also holds Dodgers postseason records for games played (82), hits (83), RBI (42), doubles (19) and walks (35). Turner slashes .275/.372/.474 in the postseason.

Turner is known as a slow starter when it comes to power numbers. The first month or two usually find him hitting for average and not for slugging. However, the start to this season seemed different. The usual slow start seemed to drag further than usual. From opening day of the season to June 28, Turner was hitting below par (.217/.290/.344). He had only four home runs and grounded into seven double plays. 

It seemed that Father Time was catching up with the 37-year-old, as Turner has mostly played as the team’s designated hitter. Turner, however, has turned things around and has once again taken up his role as one of MLB’s best hitters.

“He’s very in tune with his body, his mechanics and how his swing works,” manager Dave Roberts told to the Los Angeles Times. “They cleaned some things up and from that point he’s been on fire.”

On June 30, the day Turner turned his season around, he hit two home runs off San Diego pitcher Joe Musgrove — all the offense the Dodgers needed in a 3-1 win. 

"When he's in the box, I don't feel like he's a huge threat,” Musgrove said of Turner after the game. “Out of all the guys in the lineup, I didn't feel like he was a huge threat."

Sunday’s game was the first between Musgrove and the Dodgers since he made those comments.

Turner homered off Musgrove again and later hit a grand slam against reliever Craig Stammen. After both home runs, Turner’s teammates mocked Musgrove for calling Turner no "huge threat."

As the Dodgers breeze into October and the postseason, Turner will look to continue his hot streak.