September 10th, 2018 at 11:30 am 
by Ron Cervenka At the risk of being redundant, ‘So goes Justin Turner, so go the Dodgers.’
Justin Turner is going good … exceptionally good.
So good, in fact, that his current .314 batting average would be the seventh best in all of baseball this season were it not for the 40 games that he missed at the beginning of the season due to a non-displaced fracture of his left wrist suffered during the final week of spring training. As such, he does not have enough plate appearances to officially qualify for the batting title race.
On Sunday afternoon during the Dodgers exciting (and extremely crucial) 9-6 win over the NL West-leading Colorado Rockies in front of a Coors Field crowd of 40,157 which included a lot of Dodger fans, all the 33-year-old Long Beach, California native and former 2006 seventh-round draft pick (by the Cincinnati Reds out of Cal State Fullerton) did was come up a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, while driving in four of the Dodgers nine runs.
Turner’s 4-for-5 day included a single in the first inning, a double in the fourth inning, a huge two-run home run in the sixth inning, and another double in the eighth inning.
But wait, there’s more!
The extremely popular heavily bearded redhead also reached base on a fielding error in the second inning and was intentionally walked in the ninth inning, thereby reaching base in each of his six plate appearances on the day.
Turner’s two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning turned a then 6-2 Dodgers lead into a far more comfortable – if there is such a thing at Coors Field – 8-2 lead. He quite possibly (and probably would have) made it a 10-6 Dodgers win, were he not intentionally walked in the top of the ninth inning with Dodgers outfielder Alex Verdugo standing on second base with two outs.
As Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully might have said on Sunday afternoon: “Trying to throw a fastball past Justin Turner is like trying to throw a pork chop past a wolf.” The result was a 430-foot lesson that Colorado Rockies rookie right-hand Yency Almonte will probably never forget. (Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)
Sunday’s game wasn’t without its anxious – if not terrifying – moments. The 10-year MLB veteran appeared to be favoring his left leg after singling in the top of the first inning. He also appeared to be shaken up a bit after being called out at home plate while trying to score on a wild pitch. Fortunately, at least as best we know, neither incident was serious, as he remained in the game after both.
With the Dodgers in the midst of the tightest NL West divisional race in recent memory, and if they hope to win the division for an unprecedented sixth consecutive time, the Dodgers must, absolutely have a healthy @redturn2 who, more appropriately, should go by the Twitter handle @goldturn2 – red hair and beard notwithstanding.
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Hey, that fielding error went for three bases. Just for grins can’t we count that toward his cycle?
Strange scoring; LeMahieu’s 87 mph fly ball to RF is misplayed by Kemp (I believe Puig catches that ball) and scored a triple; Turner’s 103 mph “knuckle-ball” is a much tougher play yet because ball tipped off Holliday’s glove ruled a 3 base error. I can almost hear a Brooklyn fan yelling “He wuz robbed!”
A ball lost in the sun anywhere is very difficult. In Denver it’s much worse. The sun isn’t penetrating the densest mile of the atmosphere, therefore is significantly brighter. I live at 7000 ft. and, though I don’t spend a lot of time looking at the sun, I can definitely feel the difference.
Traditionally, balls lost in the sun (or lights) are scored as hits.
Puig would have had the same problems Matt did. He might have caught it, just as I did the only time I caught a ball in the sun. I caught a glimpse of something moving, stuck my glove up and to my left, and a baseball ran into it.
I generously give myself 25% credit.
Ever tried to catch a really good knuckleball at 80 mph? I have and it is extremely difficult. Rockies announcers reported that Turner’s ball was hit at 104 mph (baseball savant reported it at 103.4 mph) and knuckled from the moment it left Turner’s bat. Many times during the course of a season players are credited with hits when balls are considered “too hot to handle.” My point, the ball hit to Kemp was an easier play than ball hit to Holliday but Turner not credited with a triple.
“Ever tried to catch a really good knuckleball at 80 mph?” No, it surely wasn’t going near that fast. A limited flight softball, hit by a 12 year old girl. I managed to deflect it so that it hit the side of my neck instead of my throat.
But that wasn’t my point anyway. Catching a ball one can’t see is just as hard. I’m sure you’ve experienced it, but have you experienced it at a mile high elevation? It really does make a difference.
Le Baton Rouge!
It’s good to see the Dodgers clinging on to a half game of first place. They don’t look like they will ever give up keeping up with the competition in this close running NL West.