Facing his former team in the NLDS, ex-Met Justin Turner is having an incredible series. He’s batting .467 in 17 at bats, and has been huge for the Dodgers in the clutch.
Turner crushed a key two-run double against Steven Matz with two outs in third inning last night, and he also made an impressive play on defense that prevented a late inning Mets’ rally.
“It seems like everything they throw at him, he hits it hard,” Los Angeles utility man Kike Hernandez said. “I’m glad he’s locked in. He’s carrying us right now.”
Despite his falling out with the Mets, Turner says he doesn’t have any extra motivation to play better against them. “That stuff’s all in the past. It has no effect on me.”
After the 2013 season, the Mets non-tendered Turner and a Mets official later said the Front Office was irked by his lack of hustle. However, It’s clearly a decision the Mets regret as Sandy Alderson said Monday night when asked, “Oops, we missed.”
Turner is batting .314 with an .874 OPS over the last two years with the Dodgers. His transformation has been incredible, and he’s emerged into the Dodgers second biggest threat behind Adrian Gonzalez.
“Honestly, I never thought he’d be this good of a hitter,” Clayton Kershaw said. “You know, he’s one of the best hitters in the game. It’s really impressive to see what he’s been able to do since he got to us. We thought he’d be a great utility player, and he’s turned out to be our three-, four-hole hitter and our starting third baseman. So, can’t say enough about him.”
Turner credits Marlon Byrd, who was also with the Mets in 2013, with helping turn his career around.
“Meeting Marlon Byrd in 2013 was a huge part of my career,” Turner said. “I started talking to him about hitting, and really kind of turned my year around in 2013 and finished feeling really good. Him and his hitting guy kind of changed my outlook on how I was approaching things … I’ve felt pretty good ever since. I guess I got to thank the Mets for bringing Marlon in here.” (Fred Kerber, NY Post)
It’s great to see Turner move on and have a successful career, but he’s been wreaking havoc against the Mets all series. Hopefully, Jacob deGrom will find a way to finally shut him down Thursday night in Game 5.
