Turner probably finished his season
His hamstring injured and his season likely over, Justin Turner came within 25 feet of first base and tried to stop. He accelerated backward, limping at first before slowing down enough to turn the limp into a limp. Slowly and painfully, he made his way back to the Los Angeles Dodgers dugout, wincing with each step before Albert Pujols helped him down the stairs and through the tunnel leading to the clubhouse.
So now, one loss away from an inglorious end to a remarkable season, the Dodgers face overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the National League Championship Series (SCLN) without their All-Star third baseman, who suffered a hamstring injury while connecting on a double play hit in the seventh inning of a 9-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves in Game 4 on Wednesday night.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed in his postgame interview that the first indication is that Turner has a Grade 2 strain, which is defined as a partial tear of one or more hamstring muscles.
“So, I think that will be it for him,” Roberts said. The normal recovery period for a partial tear is four to eight weeks.
Turner’s injury is just one more addition to the Dodgers’ list of unavailable star players. Starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw has been out since early October with a forearm/elbow injury, and first baseman Max Muncy has been out at least through SCLN with an elbow injury suffered on the final day of the regular season.
Turner is one of several regular Dodgers players who have struggled offensively during the postseason. He hit just one hit in 20 at-bats in the five games against the San Francisco Giants in the National League Divisional Series (SDLN), and jokingly asked for the ball after that hit, a single. In four games against the Braves, Turner has two hits, a base on balls and a balk in 12 plate appearances.
Roberts, who wasn’t in the mood to expound on much of anything after his team’s loss Wednesday, said he spoke with Turner and described his mood as “obviously, very disappointed.” Asked how Turner’s absence might affect his team’s psyche, Roberts said, “Honestly, what I’m thinking about and what I hope our guys are thinking about is just tomorrow.”
The Dodgers did not make Turner available to reporters after the game.
The injury occurred with the Dodgers trailing 5-2 and Walker Buehler, as a pinch-runner after Pujols opened the inning with a single as a pop-up, at first base. Turner connected on a grounder to shortstop, and Dansby Swanson, seeing Turner hobbled, stepped on second on his own and threw to first for the double play.
“I feel bad for Justin,” Dodgers outfielder AJ Pollock said. “JT, he’s a warrior. You could see him coming off the field. It’s a hamstring. I’ll let him talk to you about that, but you never want to see your teammate go down.”
The Dodgers will be able to replace Turner on the roster for Game 5. Roberts said the choice will be a framed player, and he mentioned Zach McKinstry, Billy McKinney and Andy Burns as options.
