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NEW YORK -- The New York Mets elected to non-tender Justin Turner following the 2013 season. Given the Triple-A state of their offense right now, it’s a decision they probably regret. Turner torched his former team Friday night, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and a solo home run, and the Los Angeles Dodgers coasted to a 7-2 victory over the Mets at Citi Field. The Dodgers have now won three straight games.  “I mean, I don’t think I need to prove anything to them,” said Turner, who would lead Mets hitters in most major categories, including batting average (.327) and RBIs (43).
“I don’t play for them anymore. I play for these guys, and I’m trying to prove it to my teammates and my coaching staff and the organization that I deserve the opportunity that I’m in.” The Mets elected to pass on giving Turner $800,000 for 2014, in part because of a lack of hustle. But the 30-year-old has seemed to figure it all out in L.A. -- transitioning from a super-utility man to a potent No. 3 hitter for the top team in the National League West. “Getting to hit in front of Adrian Gonzalez a lot of times obviously helps,” Turner said. Gonzalez got the day off Friday night, but Turner made sure the Dodgers (56-42) didn’t need him. He set the tone with a first-inning RBI double, then blasted his 13th homer of the year off Jon Niese to give L.A. a 4-0 lead in the third. Turner, who has a .958 on-base plus slugging percentage, is making just $2.5 million in 2015. The Mets, who reached an agreement to acquire infielders Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson in a trade with the Atlanta Braves on Friday night, currently rank second-to-last in all of Major League Baseball in runs scored. “I think he’s been swinging the bat good no matter who we play,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly replied when asked if he thought Turner might have something to prove against the Mets. “He’s been good everywhere for us.” Mattingly felt like he pushed Turner a little bit too much toward the end of the first half of the season, but getting four days off during the All-Star break has given the team’s regular third baseman fresh legs. With Zack Greinke on the paternity list, five Dodgers relievers combined to surrender just two runs and six hits to New York. Left-hander Ian Thomas, who had compiled a 5.23 ERA in seven appearances out of the bullpen, allowed just one run in five innings. Dealing mostly out of the stretch, he dominated the Mets by pitching backward, using his changeup and other non-fastball offerings the majority of the time. Yasiel Puig added a two-run homer, while longtime New York nemesis Jimmy Rollins belted a solo shot of his own. Still, it turned out to be Turner’s night. “I’ve always liked hitting here,” Turner said. “I’ve never had an issue with the fences or anything like that -- not that I was hitting very many home runs here, but I saw the ball good.” No question about that.
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