August 30th, 2021 at 9:00 am 
by 0799291000348 * * *
“There’s a new leader in Dodger franchise history ERA – 0.00. His name is Justin Turner.”
(Dodgers broadcaster Joe Davis)
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It is never a good feeling to lose a game to a team that is 24 games back from first place, let alone to be shut out by them. This is precisely what happened on Sunday afternoon when the Los Angeles Dodgers dropped the three-game series to the Colorado Rockies. The Boys in Blue have not been in first place since April and are still trailing the San Francisco Giants, who also lost on Sunday, by 2.5 games with 31 to go.
As the season starts to wind down and games are worth so much more, win or lose, fans get treated to some pretty extraordinary scenarios. Some people will plan to attend games that seem to be weighted more, but as most people know, in baseball, anything can happen on any given day regardless of a team’s position in the standings.
Fans were treated to just such a spectacle on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles only had three hits during the contest and continued to struggle offensively, with Colorado leading 5-0. Add to that the Dodgers’ bullpen had been taxed after a 16-inning game on Wednesday in San Diego and you have a recipe for the unusual.
In the top of the ninth inning and with his team trailing 5-0, and knowing that the Giants had already lost, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts ‘threw in the towel’ when he handed the ball to All-Star third baseman Justin Turner to make his first career appearance on the mound. The extremely popular 36-year-old Long Beach, CA native replaced Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, who handled the 8th inning. You read that correctly – Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner.
As the inning got underway, three-time All-Star and 1988 National League Cy Young award-winner and current Dodgers broadcaster Orel Hershiser mentioned that Turner was the first Dodger pitcher this year to wear sunglasses on the mound.
Turner started on a high note, despite facing the heart of the Rockies’ lineup. His first pitch to Rockies shortstop Trevor Story was a strike. In fact, of the 10 pitches Turner made in his pitching debut, nine were strikes. And despite the fact that he allowed two hits before closing the inning out with a ground out and two fly outs, he is the proud owner of a 0.00 career ERA.
(Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)
As you might expect, Roberts came under some postgame fire from the media. They were curious as to why he would have a position player pitch with only a five-run deficit and why he would resort to someone as valuable to the team as Turner. Roberts explained that he went with Turner after discussing it with him to save bullpen arms.
“In a game that, in my opinion, it was unlikely we were going to win given how we performed offensively today and the last couple days. So, it saved a leverage arm. So, I would do it again if the situation presented itself.”
When was asked what he thought of Turner’s outing, the Dodgers skipper had nothing but high praise for his All-Star third baseman.
“He’s a strike-thrower. I think he threw one ball. Put the ball in play, he worked quick and he picked us up,” Roberts said matter-of-factly.
Overall, fans were pleased with a unique display from their third baseman closing out the ninth. Fellow teammate and Sunday’s starter Mitch White had supportive comments as well.
“It was awesome,” White stated. “I didn’t realize it was his first time. He mixed in a little, I don’t know if it was a knuckleball or an eephus or something like that, but that was cool.”
The Southern California native said that even though he has been asked to pitch in the past, this was the first time that he actually did so. And like all pitchers these days, as he walked off the mound after his scoreless inning of work, umpires checked his glove for foreign substances. He later tweeted “Just sunglasses and wristbands.”
(Image courtesy of Twitter)
For a player who got one of his team’s three hits Sunday and pitched a clean ninth inning, Turner continues to prove what a valuable asset he is to the team.
Here’s to hoping the Dodger’s bats warm up and they can follow the lead of their extraordinary unofficial team captain as they open a crucial three-game series with the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium beginning on Monday night.
Let’s go Dodgers!
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Justin Turner did a great job, there, in ninth inning, but I don’t hope to see him (or any other position player), in the series against the Braves or the Giants.
If I was setting the rotation for the next seven days for this extremely important week, I would not pitch Scherzer in the Atlanta series and have him start in S F on Friday on extra rest. A win in SF is a 2 game swing with less than 30 games left at that point. Then Urias and Buehler will also be the SF series. I would use a bullpen game on Wednesday against Atlanta or bring up Jackson to start the game. Also rosters expand to 28 on Wednesday and more pitchers can be brought up to facilitate that game from the minors. I realize all games are important to win, but time is running out to win the division and there will be no more games left against SF after Sunday, I’m not the manager or GM, but that’s what I would do. What would you do?
I have listened to and watched Dodgers baseball for for more than 65 years and I cannot recall ever a Dodgers manager giving up on a game when trailing by five runs going into the ninth inning! If you’re going to that then make the embarrassment complete by pinch hitting Urias, Buehler, and Price in the bottom of the ninth. It has been 23 hours since Roberts metaphorically waved the white flag and I am still furious.
Jesse,
i’m not sure sending Julio and Price would be a white flag as they are hitting much better than Belli and Billy (lol)
we may have been better off if we had sent either of them up for billy in the 5th. incidentally, belli goes up there bunting for a hit in the second with two out and nobody on but, in the 7th, strikes out swinging with two on, one out and a heavier shift???? maybe try bunting for a hit in that situation. i’m starting to side with all of the retired guys calling MLB unwatchable. maybe they should rename this game “three true outcomes”?
annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd another thing, why the heck did they throw that 4 seamer to Cron???? everybody has been discussing how the rox struggle with breaking balls when they come down the mountain but they throw him a meatball? why did they pitch to him at all with a 2-0 count, 1B open and Ruiz behind him? who by the way is batting 100+ point worse, not going to be the player of the month, has slightly more HR in his career than Cron has this season and grounded out harmlessly following the back breaking homer. one pitch changed everything. that one pitch took the wind out of the players and the crowd. white would have otherwise taken a scoreless game into the middle innings and you guys would have been writing about a promising young man showing the strength and depth of the future. instead were talking about the stupidity of putting JT on the mound. Roberts is not my pick for manager of the year. this roster should win the div with Bobo in the managers chair (as was proven with the previous manager). one run games and extra inn games is where we see the ability (or inability) to manage and strategize. when the man repeatedly says “i liked him there, i’d do it again” what i hear is ” i don’t see the problem, don’t learn and won’t do any better next time”.
You took the words right out of my mouth.