Turner wraps LA's historic 7-HR party in 11th

Seven dingers -- all solo shots -- most allowed by Mets at home

June 24th, 2018

NEW YORK -- got in on the homerpalooza at the end on Sunday, his 11th-inning blast capping the Dodgers' ridiculously difficult 8-7 win over the Mets, completing a sweep of the series with the 12th consecutive win over the struggling home team.
The Dodgers went berserk with seven solo shots. In addition to Turner, and homered twice each, while and had one. The seven home runs in one game tied for second-most in franchise history (fifth time), and it was the first time any opponent hit seven home runs against the Mets at home.
It was the first time since the 2006 Braves that a club had seven solo homers, a National League record. Hernandez and Muncy went back to back, the seventh time this year for the club and the second time to open a game, and the Dodgers had multiple players hit multiple homers for the first time since Matt Kemp and in 2014.

The Dodgers have 46 home runs in June and a league-high 102 this season. Hernandez has a career-high 12, Muncy and Bellinger are tied for the team lead at 15, and Pederson has 10. Pederson's was the longest at 437 feet.
"That's what we do. We hit homers," said Hernandez, who must have forgotten his successful squeeze bunt Saturday night. "A lot of them."
With the win, the Dodgers concluded a 4-2 trip and are 25-9 since May 16, when they trailed by 8 1/2 games in the NL West, trimming six games off the deficit (but none since June 2). pitched two innings for the win, after his staffmates let four leads get away.

The Dodgers' clubhouse was strangely somber for such a record-breaking win, and that included Turner, who stayed in the game at third base after striking out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth. He was low-key when discussing his clutch shot off his former team -- despite the potential boost a return to form would mean to the offense.
"I was just trying to hit the ball on the barrel," said Turner, who was 2-for-16 on the weeklong swing through Chicago and New York. "It's been a whole road trip of getting beat, getting jammed. What a day, a bunch of home runs and sweep a series against the Mets on the road. It will make for a happy flight going home."

While the Dodgers have erupted as the most dangerous home run club, Turner hasn't been part of it. He missed the first six weeks of the season with a broken left wrist and since returning hasn't shown the pull power that made him one of the best hitters in the game. This was his third home run of the year.
"Justin's approach is pulling the ball in the air, and knowing the conditions, it was a concerted effort to get under the baseball," manager Dave Roberts said. "Since he's come back, more so in the last week, just being able to release the barrel, that last click. He said the wrist feels strong, but that ability to release the barrel like he did on that last swing just hasn't been there."

Starting pitcher Rich Hill, who let two leads evaporate over five innings, was self-critical in the clubhouse after the game, saying he caught himself falling back into a mechanical bad habit. He hit three batters and all scored.
"It was sloppy," he said. "I'm really disappointed about the execution of the pitches. That really is going to bother me for a couple of days."
-- asked to protect a three-run lead in the ninth inning to get the game to -- issued a one-out walk to and two batters later served up a tying, three-run homer to .

"Goeddel can't walk Bautista there," Roberts said.

SOUND SMART
• Pederson has nine homers this month. He also hit nine in May 2015.

• Bellinger has eight career homers against the Mets, his most against any club, and second-most against the Mets behind Giancarlo Stanton's nine.
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
Hernandez got the home run derby started on a 2-0 pitch from , who was making his first start after 532 relief appearances.

"Leading off the game against a lefty and I just wanted to make the best of the at-bat. I wasn't sure if it was going to be my only at-bat of the day," Hernandez said. "He left a fastball down the middle, and we got off to a good start."
HE SAID IT
"I used my dad's bat for the second one. I really don't like the way they boo him here, so that adds a little bit to my game." -- Hernandez, on using the bat of (Dad) for his second home run

UP NEXT
opens a 10-game homestand Monday against the Cubs and Mike Montgomery in a 7:10 p.m. PT start. Maeda struggled last time out at Wrigley Field, allowing three runs and five walks in 3 2/3 innings. First-pitch honorees will be Bob Baffert and Mike Smith, trainer and jockey of Triple Crown winner Justify.