After going 5-for-5 Saturday night in the Nationals’ 5-3 loss to the Red Sox, Trea Turner is now riding a career-high 14-game hit streak.
On Saturday, Turner connected for a ground-rule double in his first at-bat. He followed that up with another double in the third inning. He has four doubles in the series, in a span of six at-bats. Before the sixth inning Saturday night, he had already collected four hits.
Here is a rundown of each of Turner’s at-bats Saturday at Fenway Park:
1. Double, fly ball to right field
92 mph sinker (1-0)
2. Double, line drive to left field
87 mph cutter (3-2)
3. Single, ground ball to left field
91 mph sinker (2-1)
4. Single, line drive to left field
81 mph curveball (1-2)
5. Single, line drive center field
96 mph four-seam fastball (0-1)
Batting out of the right side of the batter’s box, Turner managed to drop in a base hit to each section of the outfield. He is now hitting .350 this season with a .410 OBP.
“The thing that stands out to me is he is using the whole field,” said manager Davey Martinez during the postgame Zoom video call. “He is getting his hits everywhere, and that’s good. When he does that, he stays behind the ball, he’s got unbelievable hands. He is able to hit the ball hard. You saw it again tonight. He is just going out there, he’s being patient but aggressive at the same time. Getting balls in the strike zone and hitting the ball hard.”
Turner said he likes how he feels at the plate right now. He believes one reason he is in such a good rhythm is that he is not second-guessing his swing choices. The shortstop is also enjoying Fenway Park.
“Yeah, no fans, that’s probably why,” Turner said, smiling. “This is my first time playing here, but I can imagine the fans be all over you, which makes it fun and special in its own sense. I feel like it’s a fun place to play. You can see all the history. The park is unique. You got the big wall that you can hit off of. You got a lot of room out in right field, you can hit the ball that way as well. Feels good, feels fun to play here and I enjoy it.”
Turner joked about feeling a bit old when surrounded by Juan Soto, Luis García and Carter Kieboom a few weeks back. But in his seventh year in the big leagues, he also has accrued his share of wisdom, which Martinez has noticed Turner is more than willing to share with his wide-eyed teammates.
“His maturity, I have seen him grow since I have been here ten-fold,” Martinez said. “He understands the game. He understands what he needs to do and he plays the game the right way. He really does. He is a student of the game but he is starting teach the game to our younger players. I really, really like that about him, is that he sees things that other guys don’t see. It’s fun to listen to him talk to younger players. I talk to him a lot about different situations and scenarios, and he is spot on. It’s really nice to see him growing the way he is growing.”
The 5-for-5 performance tied a career high for Turner. He has accomplished the feat three times in his career, matching the all-time Nats/Expos list shared by Yunel Escobar, Mark Grudzielanek and Andre Dawson, according to statistician Sarah Langs.
* Catcher Kurt Suzuki enjoyed a two-hit night and now has an 11-game hit streak.
“I feel good. With probably about 60 at-bats, in a real season this is probably where you are starting to get locked in a little bit,” Suzuki said. “Starting to feel better, not quite there yet but the progress is going and I know we only got a month left in the season but it is what it is. You can’t do anything about it. I think the more stress you put on ‘I got to do this, I got to do that,’ then I think things might snowball in the wrong direction for you. I’m just trying to stay within myself and keep progressing and keep working to get better.”
Suzuki is now batting .286. At age 36 and platooning at catcher, Suzuki admits it can take some time for him to get in a groove. But with just 30 days left in the season, that timeline has to be accelerated.
“It’s a tricky spot,” Suzuki said. “You know, had two and a half weeks to ramp up to start playing games, and as an older player, sometimes it takes me a little bit longer. But at the same time, you can’t overdo it and then you get hurt. You have to kind of keep that progression and be mindful, though that there is a little bit of urgency. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself. You know you have a track record, you know it will come and stay with the process, the drills, everything that you do to prepare. You don’t want to reinvent the wheel just because of this season.”
Here is more on Suzuki’s pregame throwing drill.
The Link LonkAugust 30, 2020 at 07:00PM
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Turner and Suzuki break down what's working at the plate - MASNsports.com
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