Although it doesn’t feel like it after a massive Game 3 win, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ high hopes are once again teetering on the brink.
This club needs to take three of four from a formidable Atlanta Braves team to stay alive, and on Thursday they’re counting on Clayton Kershaw — a guy who wasn’t able to pitch Tuesday due to back spasms. This is a tough spot, and for all their talent FanGraphs gives them only a 40.5 per cent chance of winning the series.
Writing off the Dodgers would be ludicrous, but it’s worth considering the implications of another playoff heartbreak. Thanks to the team’s decision to extend Mookie Betts there’s an argument to be made that 2020 doesn’t carry outsized importance for this group, but coming back to win the NLCS feels particularly crucial for one of the stalwarts of this team. Specifically, Justin Turner.
When we talk about the Dodgers getting over the hump, that conversation centres around Kershaw and his inconsistent October performances. This time it’s different. Not only has Kershaw been outstanding in these playoffs (14 innings of 1.93 ERA ball with a 2-0 record), even if he lays an egg on Thursday he has a baked-in injury excuse. He’s also under contract for next year, and after he rejuvenated his stuff in 2020 it’s easier to have confidence he’ll have more cracks at this — probably with the Dodgers.
Turner is a bit of a different case. He’s not an inner-circle Hall of Famer like Kershaw, but he’s a star in his own right. Since he came to the Dodgers in 2014 his WAR of 26.6 ranks 19th among all position players, sandwiched between George Springer and Xander Bogaerts. His wRC+ of 141 ranks 14th, right behind Bryce Harper. Although he’s often been overshadowed by superstar teammates, he’s been a through line of the Dodgers’ success in the Andrew Friedman era. Unlike many of those more famous running mates, he’s also tended to come through in the playoffs, hitting .281/.373/.474 against a virtually-identical regular-season line of .292/.369/.469.
Watch Game 5 of the ALCS between the Rays and Astros on Sportsnet & SN Now at 5:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. PT. Game 4 of the NLCS between the Dodgers and Braves follows at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT on Sportsnet, Sportsnet One & SN Now.
If Turner’s legacy as a Dodger, and playoff performer, are secure, how this team performs in 2020 wouldn’t seem to weigh on him too heavily. However, the stakes are extremely high for the third baseman for two reasons.
The first is that this is probably his last run with the Dodgers. Turner turns 36 at the end of this year and hits free agency following the season. The Dodgers have a number of alternatives at third base including Max Muncy, promising up-and-comer Edwin Ríos — who’s slugged .634 in his first 139 MLB plate appearances — and blue-chip prospect Kody Hoese, who could be a starter as soon as 2022. There are also scenarios where Gavin Lux or Corey Seager slide over. Despite their financial resources, Los Angeles likes to stay flexible both financially and positionally. Retaining Turner — for all of his positive qualities — would hamper them on both fronts.
Wherever Turner might go next year he will have a worse chance of winning the World Series than he would with the Dodgers. Even if he signed with another team, and found his way to the mountaintop, it might not be quite the same as doing it where he spent his prime. Whether you want to be 100 per cent practical or 100 per cent sentimental, there’s something to be said for Turner winning with the Dodgers, and there’s a good chance this is the last opportunity for that to happen.
The second reason that Turner needs this to keep going is to bolster his free agent case, which is already a murky one. On one hand, the veteran is coming off a season where he posted a 140 wRC+, marking the seventh consecutive season he’s been a significantly above-average offensive contributor. He also had a 14.9 per cent strikeout rate, which is appealing to teams in this high-whiff era — and helps indicate his bat speed isn’t gone.
On the flip side, Turner hit only four home runs this year, missed time due to a soft-tissue injury, and saw his Isolated Slugging take a massive dive.
It’s also unclear what you’re getting from Turner with the glove at this point considering his age and the scattershot nature of his defensive metrics in recent years.
Then there’s the matter of his post-season performance in 2020, which has been brutal thus far. Turner is hitting just .167/.278/.167 during this playoff run. When you put it all together, you can paint two very different free agency narratives for Turner: one if the Dodgers come back and win it all, another if they fall short again. Here’s how that looks:
If the Dodgers come back and win it all: Turner gets more games to salvage his post-season and is lauded as the guy, along with Kershaw, who got through all the Dodgers’ struggles and finally broke through. If he gets a crucial hit or two in the World Series, he can easily slide from “longtime star” to “franchise icon”. Should Los Angeles get into the sentimental re-signing of World Series winners, he even has a chance of returning.
If he goes elsewhere, his “veteran presence” credibility is increased significantly by his ring — which might add a little premium to his next contact. Even if he doesn’t perform in the playoffs, he’ll be remembered as a strong October performer thanks to his overall numbers, and the fact he’s a World Series champ. Turner will be seen as a player who can help put another team over the top, perhaps one with a younger core that hasn’t been there yet.
If the Dodgers fall to the Braves: Turner’s post-season goes down as a failure, and one that reinforced his biggest worry during the season (his inability to hit for extra-base power). Anxieties about his potential decline as a hitter — valid or not — increase because of recency bias. His chances of returning to the Dodgers likely decrease, and his legacy with that franchise is as a core member of the teams that simply couldn’t win it all. His credibility as a veteran is beyond repute, but his agent doesn’t get to sell prospective suitors on a champion.
There’s a pretty significant difference there in terms of both status — particularly in the context of the Dodgers franchise — and free agent dollars. Kershaw may be the face of this team’s quest to end a 32-year title drought, but nobody needs it more than Turner.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
