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The Dodgers in many ways had their worst week of the season in week nine, as they struggled offensively, and were outscored during a week for the first time all season.  They did not lead a game by more than one run at any point during the week.  Yet, despite this relatively poor week, the club finished 4-3, and have still not had a losing week all season.

The main reason the Dodgers finished the week with a winning record was their ability to come back from deficits.  They won games with win expectancies of 2.0%, 4.0%, and 9.5%, respectively.  Of the 18 runs the club scored during the week, 11 were scored in the 8th inning or later.

Dodger Batter of the Week:  Andre Ethier provided the bulk of the offense this week.   After a lackluster May, Ethier powered six extra-base hits during the first week of June, and had walk-off hits in back-to-back games.  The last Dodger to have walk-off hits in back-to-back games was Nomar Garciaparra, who turned the trick in May of 2006.  James Loney, with an .833 OPS, was the only other Dodger to have an OPS over .701 for the week.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week:  Guillermo Mota hasn't given up a run in three weeks, but he often pitches in low-leverage situations so it would be hard to justify giving him this award.  Chad Billingsley won his only start, pitching a scoreless six innings.  However, I'm going with Jonathan Broxton this week, since he faced 13 batters and retired 12 of them, eight via strikeout.  Broxton got a win and two saves for his efforts.

Week 9 Record:  4-3
18 runs scored (2.57 per game)
23 runs allowed (3.29 per game)
.380 pythagorean winning percentage

Overall Seasonal Record:  39-20
305 runs scored (5.17 per game)
223 runs allowed (3.78 per game)
.652 pythagorean winning percentage

Manny Suspension Countdown:  30 games down, 20 games to go; 25 days until July 3 at Petco Park

Welcome Aboard:  Travis Schlichting made his major league debut on Sunday against the Phillies, allowing one run -- a home run to Ryan Howard -- in 1.2 innings, walking three while striking out two.

Welcome Back:  Hiroki Kuroda came back after eight weeks on the disabled list, to pitch two strong games, allowing only two runs in his two starts.  Blake DeWitt also returned to the team, on Sunday, after spending about five weeks in Albuquerque.

Upcoming Week:  The Dodgers have off days Monday and Thursday, and play the Padres in between for two games.  Then the club travels to Texas for it's shortest road trip of the season (three games) as interleague play starts again.

Week 9 Stats