Nationals: Takeaways From 8-1 Win Over Dodgers
By Ricky Keeler
Turner Bringing Spark To Lineup
With Anthony Rendon back last night after the flu, Dusty Baker tried something different with the lineup. Instead of hitting Turner leadoff, he moved him down to seventh in the order with Espinosa hitting eighth.
The 23-year-old only had one hit last night, but that one hit showed the great speed Turner brings to the table. In the bottom of the sixth, Turner hit a pitch from Louis Coleman down the line in left field that ended up being a triple.
Last night was the second straight game that Turner had a triple after his two-run triple in Tuesday’s loss. But, that hit wasn’t the highlight of the night. With runners on the corners, Espinosa went off first base causing a throw over. Then, Turner was able to race home and beat the throw home, capping the double steal.
When you talk about Turner’s game, his speed is what stands out and he fits the aggressive baserunning style that Baker wants the Washington Nationals to play. Here is a good stat on his speed from Andrew Simon of MLB.com:
Best max speed on a 3B this year in MLB:
— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) July 21, 2016
1. Trea Turner, 22.7 mph
2. Ben Revere, 22.5 mph
3. Turner, 22.4 mph
Turner's both in past 2 days.
As long as Ryan Zimmerman is on the disabled list, Turner is going to get regular playing time at second base. Since he is still a young player, he will have bad games such as the one he had Sunday with his baserunning mistake. With that being said, he still has the potential to change games with his speed, like he did in last night’s win for the Nationals.
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