April 15--After being hit by pitches three times in two days, Justin Turner sat out Thursday's series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Manager Dave Roberts indicated that the Dodgers had planned to give him the day off as Turner returns from off-season microfracture surgery on his left knee.
"It's more of the knee, just trying to be mindful of that," Roberts said. "After being banged up a little bit, it just made sense to give him a day."
Diamondbacks reliever Jake Barrett clipped Turner on the left hand in the seventh inning Wednesday night. Turner finished the game and an X-ray on his hand came back negative.
Turner experienced swelling in the hand overnight but insisted, "I'll be good." He planned to take swings in an indoor cage before the game.
Tempers sparked during Wednesday's game. Afterward, Arizona Manager Chip Hale chastised Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt for yelling at the Diamondbacks' dugout.
Turner did not believe he was targeted.
"The second one was a slider," Turner said. "He wasn't trying to hit me."
Of the first one, courtesy of starter Ruby De La Rosa, Turner said, "I don't think he was trying to hit me. He just has no idea where the ball's going when he tries to [throw inside]."
Hatcher on leave
Struggling setup man Chris Hatcher left the club for paternity leave. Jensen Thomas Hatcher was born Thursday, according to Hatcher's Twitter feed. To replace Hatcher on the roster, the Dodgers recalled left-handed reliever Adam Liberatore.
andy.mccullough@latimes.com
Twitter: @McCulloughTimes
