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Justin Turner remains hot as Los Angeles Dodgers edge Miami Marlins

By Walter Villa, The Sports Xchange
Los Angeles Dodgers' Justin Turner hits a home run. File photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
Los Angeles Dodgers' Justin Turner hits a home run. File photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo

MIAMI -- Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton lost his glove, but the Los Angeles Dodgers never lost their cool.

Justin Turner homered and drove in two runs as the Los Angeles Dodgers hung on for a tight 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Sunday afternoon at Marlins Park.

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With the victory, the Dodgers (64-29), who have the best record in the majors, have won 29 of their past 33 games, including nine in a row. They also swept this three-game series against the Marlins (41-49).

Turner, who is hitting .374 and is a candidate to become the Dodgers' first batting champ since Tommy Davis in 1963, said Los Angeles would have done much more damage had it not been for the deep fences at Marlins Park.

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"If we were at Dodger Stadium, we might have hit 20 homers this series (instead of six)," Turner said. ""This place is enormous, and they have athletic outfielders who cover a lot of ground."

One of those outfielders is Stanton, who had another adventurous, aggressive and violent day on defense. In the fourth inning, he raced back to try to catch what became a triple by Chris Taylor. Stanton crashed into the wall and his glove came off his left hand and fell over the fence.

"I hit my wrist at the top of the fence," Stanton said, "and my glove popped off."

A ball boy ran on the field to give Stanton a new glove. Stanton said he ultimately got his original glove back.

Also, it was the second game in a row in which Taylor tripled to right, and Stanton crashed into the wall on both occasions.

Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill (6-4) got the win, allowing five hits, no walks and one run in five innings. It was the first time he had faced Miami since Sept. 9 when he pitched seven perfect innings.

Kenley Jansen earned a four-out save. It was his 23rd consecutive save this season, and he has pitched scoreless ball in 20 of his past 21 appearances.

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Left-hander Chris O'Grady (1-1), who was signed by the Marlins as a minor-league free agent on May 4 and promoted to the majors on July 8, took the loss. He allowed five hits, two walks and three runs in five innings.

The Dodgers raced to an early lead. After Turner's first two RBIs -- his 11th homer of the season in the first inning and a sacrifice fly in the third -- Los Angeles made it 3-0 when Taylor tripled and scored on a single by Austin Barnes.

Miami cut its deficit to 3-1 in the fifth. Backup catcher A.J. Ellis doubled and scored from third on pinch hitter Ichiro Suzuki's infield single. Ellis, who started the day with just one extra-base hit this season, doubled twice on Sunday.

The Dodgers nearly scored another run in the sixth, but Marcell Ozuna got his glove over the seven-foot fence in left to steal a home run from Enrique Hernandez, an ex-Marlins infielder.

"As I was running back, I said, 'This is an opportunity to make a good play,'" Ozuna said. "You make a catch like that, and you feel great. You feel happy."

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Los Angeles blew a chance to add to its lead in the seventh. After loading the bases with two outs against reliever Kyle Barraclough, Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager was picked off second base.

The Dodgers loaded the bases again in the eighth, but Stanton ended the threat when he raced to the right-field corner and caught a long drive by pinch hitter Chase Utley.

Seager made another mistake in the eighth, bobbling a ground ball by Dee Gordon. The error was changed to a hit. Either way, though, it led to a run charged to the ledger of reliever Brandon Morrow.

The run scored when Christian Yelich, facing Jansen, grounded a single to center.

Jansen ended that two-on threat by striking out pinch-hitter Justin Bour on three pitches, and the closer had a 1-2-3 ninth, extending his National League-best consecutive-save streak.

"We've been pretty good all year," Turner said. "To say it's just a five-week thing ... I don't think that's fair to our team."

NOTES: Marlins manager Don Mattingly said 2B Dee Gordon (neck spasms) should play Monday when Miami opens a three-game series against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. ... Miami will promote LHP Adam Conley from Triple-A New Orleans so he can start against Philadelphia on Tuesday. ... 3B Brian Anderson, one of Miami's top prospects, was promoted one level to Triple-A New Orleans. He could be in the majors soon if Miami trades 3B Martin Prado. ... Only two players have hit for the cycle against the Marlins: Todd Helton of the Colorado Rockies in 1999 and Dodgers 1B Cody Bellinger on Saturday. ... The Dodgers on Tuesday open a two-game series at the Chicago White Sox, sending LHP Clayton Kershaw (14-2, 2.19 ERA) to the mound.

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