NL DIVISION SERIES: PADRES VS DODGERS

October 11, 2022

Justin Turner

Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers

Pregame 1 Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Open it up for questions for Justin.

Q. Hey, Justin. Happy playoffs.

JUSTIN TURNER: Happy playoffs.

Q. Is there any extra juice you feel because it's the Padres? It could be anybody else. Is there any extra little SoCal oomph you have for this series because it's the Padres?

JUSTIN TURNER: I don't think so. I think, obviously, once you get to this point in the season, everyone we play is a good baseball team. You know, we're here focused on us and what we have to do and not whatever it says on the other team's shirt.

So I think going into this, it didn't matter who we were playing. We were going to be prepared and ready to go. And we believe if we play our brand of baseball, we like our chances.

Q. And after the season you guys had, is there any extra pressure in having to get it done this year?

JUSTIN TURNER: No. I think pressure is probably not a good way to look at it. It's an opportunity. It's an opportunity to accomplish something that we've been working towards since day one of spring training.

I think on day one the goal was to win a World Series. It wasn't to win 111 games and set a franchise record and all that stuff. Obviously, that's a big part of it and that's an important step, winning the division and winning as many games as possible to make sure we make it to this point. We see it as an opportunity.

Q. You've seen lineups that have worked and October lineups that haven't. What is it about the way this lineup is constructed that allows it to function in October in your eyes?

JUSTIN TURNER: Yeah, I think regardless of who is in there or what the order is, I think you're going to see quality at-bats up and down the lineup and tough outs. We've got a lot of guys that make pitchers work really hard to get us out.

It's not always sexy. It's not always 15 hits and a bunch of runs, but we have the ability to do that, but we also have the ability to take good at-bats and break down starting pitchers and try to get into bullpens early in games, and that's obviously an advantage.

Q. As a playoff veteran, what do you take out of this that you like or that you've learned from years in the past?

JUSTIN TURNER: Yeah, again, I think it's just another opportunity to go accomplish what we set out to do back in February. I think this is why we've showed up all year. This is why we put in all the work to get to this moment, this opportunity. We're ready for it.

Q. Do you guys think that you guys have quite the advantage? I mean, I know you are 0-0 and now it's the postseason, but going 14-5 during the regular season, do you think that's in the Padres' back of their mind that you have beat them pretty good this season?

JUSTIN TURNER: I think everything that happened throughout the season kind of goes out the window once the playoffs start. It is a tournament. It's about winning three games. We both have the same record right now.

Obviously, both teams are very familiar with one another. I don't really think there's an advantage one way or another. They just came off of a big Wild Card series win, so they probably are feeling pretty good about themselves.

Like I said, we like what we have in our clubhouse. We like what we have in our room. If we take care of our business, we like our chances.

Q. Obviously, there's some uncertainty for you, like contract-wise this offseason. Has there been any point recently or going into this where you think about this potentially being your last time here? Has that not entered your mind?

JUSTIN TURNER: No, that's a long ways away. There's one thing in mind, and that's winning a baseball game tonight. Whatever happens after that, it will all work itself out.

That's not important right now.

Q. You've been here for Julio's career. What has stood out in his development, especially the last three years, where he's really taken another step?

JUSTIN TURNER: Just the way he carries himself. He doesn't waver. It seems like there's no moment that gets too big for him. I know Doc talks about guys all the time that just kind of are flat-line. They don't get too high. They don't get too low. That's kind of how Julio has always gone about it ever since the first day I met him when I put on a Dodgers uniform.

It's just the composure, the ability to stay in the moment, and the way he competes and goes about his business is off the charts. He pitches like his back is against the wall, and I feel like he probably has that little chip on his shoulder with everything that he has gone through in his career. I feel like that's the way he pitches.

Q. For tomorrow's starter a year ago, Clayton wasn't available for you guys, and after that there was some uncertainty regarding maybe his future. Just to have him here healthy pitching tomorrow, Game 2, what does that mean to you and the team?

JUSTIN TURNER: There's nothing better than having a healthy Clayton Kershaw taking the ball for you. He is one of the best I've ever seen, I've ever played with. I don't like to talk about tomorrow because we've got stuff to worry about today, but when tomorrow comes, we're going to be excited to have him taking the ball for us.

Q. J.T., from season to season rosters change, but there's something about this tight-knit group in that locker room. What is it that just works no matter who comes in it seems like?

JUSTIN TURNER: Yeah, I think one thing we take a lot of pride in here is the culture that we've created and the ability to let guys come in and be themselves and not try to mold them or make them be something that they aren't.

I think the way we treat young guys who come up as important as anyone else on the roster, right? You're here for a reason. You're here to help us win ball games. So it would be not to our benefit to treat them any differently, right?

When guys get here, we try to make them as comfortable as possible. Usually that helps them perform to their capability.

Q. Justin, talked a little bit about Kershaw not being here last year. Muncy, Kimbrel is not on the roster now. You've had some times with Kahnle up and down over the years. What does it say about this group that there is no, oh, my God, we lost one guy, we're still going to be able to perform? What does it say about the front office that there's always somebody else, even if it's somebody we haven't heard of, that succeeds?

JUSTIN TURNER: Yeah, I think the front office has done an outstanding job over the years that I've been here of building depth and holding on to young talent, where when stuff happens or a guy goes down, a lot of times a lot of teams you lose one guy, and the thought is probably, oh, how are we going to fill that void?

It's never really been that way here. It's an opportunity for someone else to step up. There's a lot of good players in this room, and I think this is a roster that doesn't rely on one guy on either side of the ball to carry us.

Q. Justin, I guess all you guys are guinea pigs with the first year of this format and the first round bye and everything. Did you guys do anything differently in your approach during the five days off?

JUSTIN TURNER: Well, I mean, this is the first time we've had five days off, so I think it was all different.

Q. I mean differently from the way you've approached it before and the time between end of the regular season and start of the playoffs?

JUSTIN TURNER: No, not really. We played some intrasquad games and took at-bats and tried to keep the flow of feeling like you're going out and playing in a game every day as best as possible.

Obviously, guys weren't stealing bases and breaking up double plays and stretching singles into doubles, but it was good to get out there, play those intrasquad games. Plus, for the hitters it was kind of nice. We got to face our pitching staff, which is pretty good.

So it wasn't like we were missing too much. We were facing some pretty good arms, so we like how that went.

Q. Looking at the pitching matchup, the fact the Dodgers are throwing Urías tonight and the Padres are throwing essentially their No. 4 who allowed 14 runs in three starts this season against the Dodgers, does that amplify the importance of winning Game 1 for the Dodgers?

JUSTIN TURNER: It's baseball. It doesn't matter who is going out there. It doesn't matter what it says on paper. You still have to show up and play the game. You still have to do all the fundamentals and do the right things. Anything can happen. That's why I love this game. It doesn't matter what it says on paper. You still have to go out and play.

Q. Justin, Trayce Thompson is in the lineup today. It's his first playoff game. You were around him the last time he was here as well. What's the difference between him now and then?

JUSTIN TURNER: First and foremost, I think he is healthy. He is healthy, feeling good. I think coming back to the Dodgers after his kind of tour of the league that he took was exciting for him.

I know -- actually, I know how excited he was to be back wearing this uniform in this organization. It's been awesome to watch him go out and put together quality at-bats. The way he is commanding the strike zone is what really sticks out to me.

Obviously, he is doing damage driving in runs, hitting home runs, but the command of the strike zone is probably the biggest step that I've seen in this kind of go-around from the last one. He stays in the zone. He is another guy that puts together good at-bats and takes his walks when he needs to and makes guys really grind to get him out.

Q. You talked about just having a cohesive locker room. Obviously, with the younger guys, the older veterans, how much does that help being able to bring that balance and be able to share your wisdom with the younger players?

JUSTIN TURNER: It's a great locker room for experience and veteran guys. You look around the room: Mookie Betts, David Price, Clayton Kershaw, Freddie Freeman, Trea Turner.

It's really, I think, a good environment for young guys to come in and see all these guys that they probably looked up to while they were growing up and dreaming of being in the Major Leagues and now getting to put on the same uniform as them and share a locker room.

Vargas is the perfect example. He has been incredible since he has been up here just having conversations with guys, talking about it. I was talking to him the other day, and he is, like, man, this is completely different than what I imagined the Major Leagues were. He is, like, I've never been a part of a team that is a team, right? I've never been a part of that.

He is, like, it's just been awesome every day coming in and getting a chance. I mean, you get to talk to some pretty good hitters, right? Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Trea Turner, Will Smith.

You go up and down the lineup. Max Muncy. There's a lot of knowledge, a lot of good information. Vargy has been unbelievable at being a sponge and soaking it all in. I have a feeling he is going to take some good at-bats for us, some big at-bats for us.