Turner hits for the cycle, sets career mark with seven RBIs in 15-12 win

DENVER - On a night when Daniel Murphy collected five RBIs with three big hits, Trea Turner did him one better. Turner hit for the cycle for the first time and accumulated a career-high seven RBIs.

Just another normal night of baseball at Coors Field.

The Nationals outscored the Rockies 15-12 on a chilly and rain-delayed Denver night. The Nationals' bats were red hot, thanks in large part to the at-bats from Murphy and Turner.

The duo combined for seven hits, four extra base hits and 12 RBIs. They both connected on bases-clearing triples.

Turner arrived in the batter's box in the seventh with a chance to add to the Nats' lead. Was he thinking cycle?

"No. I actually wasn't," Turner said. "I was trying to survive the cold. Big at-bat too. Just bases loaded one out, trying to get the ball to the outfield. Didn't want to hit into a double play. They've got some good arms over there, so I was actually not thinking about it. And it's funny when you don't think about it, it happens."

Turner said he thought about going for third base when he got to the second bag.

"And then I slid in (to third). I was like I had to tell myself, 'wait a second, I hit for the cycle.' I actually asked (Bobby) Henley, I don't know if he heard me, but I asked him. Fun game. Weather wasn't good, but we got the win."

Murphy had five RBIs himself, and was impressed but not surprised by Turner's feat.

"It's elite talent and he's a grinder," Murphy said. "He doesn't give away pitches offense or defense. When you take someone who's immensely talented like he is and then they're engaged on every single pitch, special things happen, which is what we saw this evening."

It was Turner's first cycle in the major leagues. He joins Cristian Guzman (2008) and Brad Wilkerson (2005) as the only Nationals to ever reach that plateau. Turner delivered a single, double, homer and triple as the Nats pounded out 14 hits.

Turner said he had never hit for the cycle, even in his hot hitting days for North Carolina State.

"You'd have to ask my Mom that, but no," Turner said. "Not since college. Had a couple triples and homers. In college I remember some games when I had both of them, but I've never hit for the cycle."

The 15 runs are a season high for the Nats. They beat the Cardinals 14-6 and the Braves 14-4 earlier this season.

Turner also had a two-run double and a two-run homer. The homer was his first of the season and first since October 1, 2016.

The Nationals had a pair of 7-0 scoring streaks. They scored five runs each in the second and seventh frames.

The Rockies countered with 5-1 and 7-0 runs.

Joe Ross yielded a pair of solo shots to Carlos González and Mark Reynolds. His velocity was not what it usually was. The Rockies took advantage and scored five runs against him. But that offense wasn't nearly enough against the Nats on this night.

Ross was already getting treatment back in the clubhouse when Turner finished off the cycle with a triple.

"It was exciting," Ross said. "I was in here when he actually hit his triple, and they almost jinxed it, I think. They were talking about it, 'Oh, he needs a triple here.' Next thing you know, he shot the ball down the right field line. Just another high point of today's game. It's not really something you see very often. Glad I was able to see that today."

Nationals manager Dusty Baker had time to think about the crazy back-and-forth affair as he sat at his desk for his postgame interview. Turner's heroics were a big topic of conversation.

"Yeah, I mean, that was great. That was awesome. Especially the hardest one to get is a triple, but this is the place if you want a triple, here's the place. The homer to the opposite field."

The cycle goes into the record books, but so do the seven RBIs, also a career high. Turner said he is just as proud of that record because he usually doesn't get that many chances to drive guys in from the top of the order.

"I think that's the more impressive thing almost," Turner said. "Being at the top of the lineup, I don't get a ton of opportunities to do it, but I feel like when I do get an opportunity, sometimes I try too hard. And tonight was just putting the ball in play, putting the barrel on the ball and good things happen. I was thinking as much about driving in the runs, other than that triple, when I wanted to get that ball to the outfield. Just trying to have good at-bats. Those runs were huge."

Baker did not know that Turner had accrued seven RBIs in one game.

"Well, that stands out," Baker said. "There's not many guys who can say they drove in seven runs in a game. I just hope he remembers how he did it and duplicates it over and over and over."