Why Justin Turner started over Dee Gordon.

Justin Turner

Justin Turner (left) was given the start at second base Friday over Dee Gordon (right). (Associated Press photo)

SAN FRANCISCO >> Dee Gordon didn’t look like himself walking around the visitors’ clubhouse Friday. His head was mostly down, the hood on his sweatshirt mostly up.

Gordon wasn’t in the starting lineup for Friday’s game against Giants left-hander Madison Bumgarner, which prompted a question about whether or not the Dodgers’ second baseman was healthy or not.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Gordon is fine health-wise; that’s not the problem.

“He was mad,” Mattingly said.

The matchup against Bumgarner didn’t overwhelmingly favor Turner, who is 4-for-12 in his career against the left-hander with two doubles and one strikeout. Gordon is 3 for 13, all singles, with four strikeouts against Bumgarner. But the matchup dictated the change, Mattingly said. 

The manager wouldn’t call second base a platoon situation, even though Turner (.371/.450/.486) has far outpaced Gordon (.278/.300/.340) at the plate in the second half.

“Pretty much, yeah,” Mattingly said when asked if Gordon was still the starter. “JT makes it easier to say ‘we’ve got to take some different looks at different things.’ “

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.