Streak Snapper

Justin Turner deserves to be smiling. Thursday, he homered twice off Stephen Strasberg as the Dodgers handed the Washington ace his first defeat after opening the season with 13 consecutive victories.
The Dodgers 3rd baseman got off to a fast start with a two-run shot in the top of the 1st inning. He then broke the game open with a three-run blast in the 3rd. And keep in mind, that came against Strasberg, who seemed unshakable until now.
It's been quite a July for Turner, who is batting .323 with four doubles, six home runs and 16 RBIs this month. Turner's hot streak actually began in early June -- according to the L.A. Daily News, the ex-Met is hitting over .320 with 10 doubles and 14 home runs in the last 39 games.
It's interesting to look at the numbers -- and see how Turner, now 31, has become a different and far more productive players since joining the Dodgers and becoming a regular. (The Mets let him leave by not tendering a contract after the 2013 season.) He's become a power hitter and hit .340 and .294 his first two Dodger seasons. That's not the utility man fans remember from Citi Field. Are there shades of Daniel Murphy and his breakout success in this story?
The Dodgers need Turner to stay hot -- outfield Yasiel Puig left Thursday's game with a hamstring injury and the status of Clayton Kershaw is very much up in the air. Looking to gain ground on the arch-rival Dodgers and fight off the Mets, Pirates, Cardinals and Marlins for a wild card, L.A. can only hope their unexpected hero remains at the top of his game.


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