The Dodgers seem well on their way to their third division crown in as many years, but they may be without third baseman Justin Turner for a few games.
Turner, who is having a career year, is dealing with a leg injury and though an MRI showed no structural damage, he may miss a few more games.
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In his stead, Chase Utley played at the hot corner for the first time in his career Monday against the Diamondbacks. Turner said he has inflammation from tendinitis and a bone bruise on the leg and that he'll miss "a couple of days" while the swelling subsides.
Turner left Saturday night's 3-2 loss to the Pirates after seven innings due to swelling in the knee, just four days after playing all 16 innings of a 5-4 loss to the Rockies, but he was in good spirits after the MRI.
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"It was pretty much the best case we could have had," said Turner after Monday's 8-4 loss to Arizona, according to MLB.com. "But there's nothing really medicine-wise to help speed it up."
With Turner out, Utley shifted over to third, but manager Don Mattingly said Alex Guerrero and promising young infielder Corey Seager were possible replacements if needed, along with Kiké Hernandez, who is working his way back from a hamstring injury himself.
Turner is having a very productive year in Los Angeles, owning a .290/.366/.488 slash line all while setting career-highs with 15 homers and 55 RBIs. He may have nine errors in the field, but he is a plus-4 in defensive runs saved.
By comparison, Utley has hit .212/.287/.337 with seven homers and 35 RBIs overall and .200/.296/.347 with two long balls and five RBIs with the Dodgers. Utley has made eight errors overall and is a minus-3 in defensive runs saved, according to Fangraphs.com.
The Dodgers may have a seven-game lead on the defending World Series champion Giants, but they still have plenty to play for. Los Angeles seems destined to meet Turner's old club, the Mets, in the playoffs and the teams are currently battling it out for home-field advantage. With Turner out, the Dodgers are definitely a weaker team.
The Dodgers (85-64) lead the Mets (85-65) by a half-game in the race entering play Tuesday.
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