Dodgers takeaways: L.A. technically hasn't clinched playoff spot, MLB clarifies

The Dodgers are not formally playoff-certain, after all.

However Major League Baseball experienced originally identified the Dodgers as clinching a playoff place with their 11-2 rout of the San Diego Padres on Sunday — with playoff hats getting handed out in the clubhouse, a congratulatory tweet from MLB’s official account and an “X” staying briefly put next to their title in the official on the internet standings — the league experienced to backtrack on Monday simply because there are still three- and 4-way tiebreakers that even now exist.

The Dodgers now require just one extra earn (or a single more Milwaukee Brewers decline) to officially punch their ticket. They can continue to clinch the NL West as shortly as Tuesday.

Both way, it will not dampen the club’s mood after leaving San Diego with a further collection acquire above the Padres.

“There’s however a great deal of function to be carried out,” supervisor Dave Roberts stated Sunday. “I truly feel our best baseball is yet to be performed.”

As the staff closes in on a drama-free of charge extend run with a division lead of 20 games and an 8-sport edge for the National League’s leading seed, below are 4 takeaways on in which they stand.

Justin Turner’s hot streak carries on

A notoriously slow starter, Justin Turner’s period-opening slump was commencing to appear like one thing more immediately after a dismal initial 3 months of the period.

From the start off of April to June 28, the 37-year-previous was batting just .217. He experienced a dismal OPS of .634 and just four house runs. And while he had 38 RBIs, there was speculation his ideal many years experienced ultimately handed him by.

Since then, he’s been one of the best hitters in baseball — and it's possible the very best in the Dodgers’ loaded lineup.

In his last 44 game titles, the 3rd baseman is batting .371. Soon after a two-dwelling-operate activity on Sunday, which involved his next profession grand slam, his OPS in that stretch is 1.057, 3rd-very best in the majors amongst hitters with at least 150 plate appearances all through that time.

“He’s really in tune with his system, his mechanics and how his swing works,” Roberts mentioned. “They cleaned some points up and from that point he’s been on hearth.”

When pressed for particulars about these variations, Turner didn’t reveal considerably.

He said for him, tweaks to his swing could not glance quite apparent, but he’s uncovered a really feel at the plate that has enabled him to cease “missing pitches that I should not miss out on.” An example was the down-the-middle cutter from Craig Stammen that he released for his grand slam Sunday.

“There’s a good deal of stuff that goes into hitting, so it’s difficult to place your finger on a single point,” he stated. “But just at-bats, assurance and final results, kind of helped feed that.”

Roberts stated it has all extra up to what he identified as “as very good a stretch” as he’s at any time viewed out of Turner, whose period-prolonged batting common (.277) and OPS (.798) both rank fifth on the team.

“Even when he was struggling, he was continue to a single of our leaders in driving operates in, and he can take his walks,” Roberts reported. “So now you are form of adding on the slug, it is pretty particular.”

There was a little something else that transpired to Turner on the very last working day of June when Padres ace Joe Musgrove created some seemingly direct opinions about Turner’s then-slump at the plate.

“When he’s in the box, I really do not really feel like he’s a large threat,” Musgrove claimed following a June 30 start out towards the Dodgers, a working day Turner had three hits, which include two property operates.

Justin Turner runs the bases following hitting a solo residence run off Padres’ Joe Musgrove in the fifth inning Sunday in San Diego.

(Derrick Tuskan / Associated Press)

“He’s a very good hitter,” Musgrove ongoing. “He’s finished a great deal of hurt to the groups I’ve been on in the previous. But out of all the fellas in that lineup, I didn’t experience like he was a substantial threat.”

As Turner has given that heated up, the very first element of Musgrove’s quote has been broadly circulated among Dodger enthusiasts on social media.

And during Turner’s offensive explosion Sunday — which incorporated a third occupation household operate off Musgrove, anything Turner has carried out to just four other pitchers — on-field cameras appeared to seize a number of of his teammates yelling out “not a threat” from the dugout.

Postgame, the three-month-outdated opinions grew to become a subject matter of discussion.

Turner brushed those queries aside and joked that, experienced they been any respectable motivator for his the latest performance, “I’d talk to persons to say things about me a whole lot sooner in the calendar year.”

Musgrove mentioned: “I really do not know why every person is generating these kinds of a major offer out of it.” He attempted to make clear that he only intended he did not check out Turner as the largest menace in a Dodgers lineup littered with other All-Stars and former MVPs.

“When I claimed that, it was not [with] intentions that I think he’s a ... [bad] baseball participant. That is not it at all,” Musgrove said. “I’ve performed versus him for a extended time now and he’s always been a great hitter. … [It’s just] there were other fellas that I was a minimal a lot more anxious about. And he received me that day, and again, he obtained me [Sunday]. So yeah, it is what it is.”

Roberts hadn’t been aware of the problem in advance of Sunday. But when he was knowledgeable of Musgrove’s feedback, he appeared amazed.

“Oh gosh,” Roberts said. “I feel he may possibly want to retract that.”

Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger bounce again

A single of the coldest Dodgers hitters getting into this weekend was Chris Taylor, who snapped out of his slump by heading 4 for 12 in the sequence versus the Padres, together with a dwelling operate on Sunday.

Most likely more importantly, the outfielder only struck out twice in a few games, a beneficial sign coming off a 13 for 83 extend that experienced 38 strikeouts in his earlier 25 video games.

“I assumed he was taking much better swings, making much better call,” Roberts mentioned. “He elevated the ball pull facet a couple occasions [Sunday]. Even his outs yesterday had been really hard outs. It’s good to see.”

Cody Bellinger was mired in a for 22 rut in advance of obtaining two hits on Sunday, pushing his time-extensive batting regular back again in excess of .200.

Like with Taylor, it will be important for the Dodgers to check out and get Bellinger heading down the extend as well.

The workforce is nevertheless hopeful both can be key to their postseason programs, as they ended up previous calendar year with clutch Oct performances.

For that to take place, they’ll want far more days like Sunday out of each.

Max Muncy to maintain stepping back again

Max Muncy watches his two-operate one against the San Diego Padres.

(Derrick Tuskan / Connected Push)

When there has not been just 1 point guiding Max Muncy’s mid-season turnaround, there could be no bigger variable than the new again-foot plant step he requires in advance of each and every swing.

The only trouble is the new transfer led to some knee irritation this 7 days that necessitated a ache-aid injection and sidelined him for two days.

Nevertheless, when Muncy returned to the lineup for a three-RBI functionality on Sunday, his back move was continue to element of his mechanics, a little something he and Roberts think he will be capable to keep on with no problem for the relaxation of the period.

“[There is] no worry lengthy time period,” Roberts claimed. “It’s extra heading to be a nuisance.”

Would Muncy, who is batting .274 with 10 household operates considering the fact that incorporating the back step in late July, contemplate acquiring rid of it?

“I really don't think he’s likely to improve that,” Roberts said with a sly smile, “because of the functionality.”