Dodgers June In Review: Riding Out The June Swoon

by Eric Stephen on Jul 1, 2009 12:04 AM PDT in Weeks/Months In Review Comment 37 comments

Andre Ethier was the man in June for the Dodgers, with 9 HR and 22 RBI.

After an amazing 20-win May, a bumpier ride was expected in June. After all, the Dodgers had not had a winning June in six years. The offense plummeted in June, averaging 3.6 runs per game after a 5.4-per-game May. However, stellar pitching and some amazing clutch-hitting kept the Dodgers afloat for a winning June.

Dodger Batter of the Month: It really was a putrid offensive month for the Dodgers, as only two Dodgers posted an OPS above .800. Matt Kemp posted a nice .305/.350/.474 line with seven steals in eight attempts, but this award easily goes to Andre Ethier. Ethier found his power stroke, hitting nine home runs and hitting .268/.333/.619 while driving in 22 runs. Ethier had three different walkoff hits in June, and for good measure added a three-homer game as well.

Dodger Pitcher of the Month: Clayton Kershaw rebounded from his shortest outing of the season to post three solid efforts to end the month, and ended up with a 2.36 ERA for the month and 28 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. Honorable mention goes to Ronald Belisario, who allowed two runs in the month while striking out 13. Also, Guillermo Mota was stellar as well, allowing only one run, although as Kensai noted at Memories of Kevin Malone, Mota's outings have been in much lower leverage situations this season.

June Record: 14-12 (.538)
93 runs scored (3.58 per game)
97 runs allowed (3.73 per game)
.479 pythagorean winning percentage

June NL West Standings
Club	W-L	Pct	GB	RS	RA
Rockies	21-7	.750	---	154	105
Giants	17-10	.630	3½	118	89
Dodgers	14-12	.538	6	93	97
Padres	9-17	.346	11	91	144
Diamondbacks	9-17	.346	11	124	128

The Dodgers really gave back some ground to the Rockies and Giants, but of course the beauty of a big lead is that it takes a lot to get caught. The return of Manny Ramirez will certainly be welcomed, from an offensive standpoint, but the Dodgers have a comfortable enough lead that they don't need to get their panties in a bunch, at least not yet.

Overall Record: 49-29 (.628)
380 runs scored (4.87 per game)
297 runs allowed (3.81 per game)
.621 pythagorean winning percentage

NL West Standings (thru June 30)
Club	W-L	Pct	GB	RS	RA
Dodgers	49-29	.628	---	380	297
Giants	42-34	.553	6	311	285
Rockies	41-36	.532	7½	392	360
Padres	34-42	.447	14	291	374
Diamondbacks	31-46	.403	17½	341	382

Favorite Game of the Month: In the span of one week, the Dodgers had three comeback wins in games they had no business winning (against the Diamonbacks, then the Phillies twice), and of course there was the Ethier three-dinger game, but my favorite game of June came on the penultimate day of the month. The Dodgers trailed the Rockies 2-0, but scored the tying runs by a two-RBI single by pitcher Randy Wolf, after he induced a balk by trying to call time. Then, the Dodgers used all seven members of their bullpen to pitch one inning apiece before Andre Ethier -- who else? -- ended the game with yet another walk-off home run.

The Pen Is Mightier: The Dodger bullpen was lights out in June, allowing only a 2.31 ERA and 1.018 WHIP. Only three members of pen had an ERA above 2.16 for the month -- two were optioned to the minors (Cory Wade, Travis Schlichting), and the other was closer Jonathan Broxton, who still struck out 21 batters versus 11 baserunners in his 11.2 innings.

Empty Bench: Not counting the six games in which a bench player started at designated hitter, the eight active Dodger regulars in June started 195 of 211 possible games, or 92.4% of the time. Perhaps that is a good thing, since the Dodger bench only hit .190/.257/.230, with six runs, five RBI, and six walks for the entire month.

Amazing Stat of the Month: Russell Martin did finally hit his first home run of the season in June, but he managed to go through June without driving in another Dodger, in all of 94 plate appearances. He has just the one RBI in his last 115 PA, since Memorial Day.

Making Their Debuts: Career minor leaguer Mitch Jones, a 31-year old journeyman who hit 221 homers in ten minor league season, finally made his long-awaited major league debut on June 16. The Dodger Stadium crowd, alerted to Jones's status on the video board during his first major league at-bat, gave Jones a rousing ovation, even as after he struck out. Jones has hit .308/.400/.385 in very limited action, but if you can't root for a guy like Jones, there is something wrong with you.

Travis Schlichting, on the day I asked him about his arrival in the major leagues, made his MLB debut against the Phillies on June 7.

Upcoming Month: The club welcomes Manny back on Friday, July 3 in San Diego, then continues on a road trip to New York and Milwaukee, before the All-Star break. A nine-game homestand with the Astros, Reds, and Marlins follows. The Dodgers end the month with four in St. Louis, followed by a trip to Atlanta. For the month, there are 11 home games and 14 road games, which will even the scales at 52 games both at home and on the road starting August.

Previous Monthly Reviews: April | May

June Stats

Player	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SB/CS	BA/OBP/SLG	OPS	wOBA
Ethier	97	11	26	5	1	9	22	9	1/3	.268/.333/.619	.952	.383
Kemp	95	12	29	2	1	4	11	7	7/1	.305/.350/.474	.823	.362
Loney	94	12	24	4	1	3	11	10	2/0	.255/.327/.415	.742	.325
Blake	95	15	25	6	0	2	15	8	2/1	.263/.314/.389	.704	.305
Furcal	90	9	20	5	0	2	6	12	1/1	.222/.314/.344	.658	.296
Pierre	110	11	29	5	0	0	4	5	11/2	.264/.319/.309	.628	.301
Hudson	99	10	22	6	0	2	10	6	2/0	.222/.269/.343	.612	.274
Martin	79	7	15	1	0	1	1	14	0/1	.190/.326/.241	.567	.262
Starters	759	87	190	34	3	23	80	71	26/9	.250/.319/.394	.713
Jones	13	1	4	1	0	0	0	0	0/0	.308/.400/.385	.785	.361
Castro	16	2	5	0	0	0	0	1	0/0	.313/.353/.313	.665	.304
Loretta	40	3	7	2	0	0	4	3	0/0	.175/.233/.225	.458	.212
Ausmus	18	0	2	1	0	0	1	1	0/0	.111/.200/.167	.367	.180
DeWitt	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0/0	.000/.333/.000	.333	.235
Hoffman	7	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	.143/.143/.143	.286	.128
Ellis	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	.000/.000/.000	.000	.000
Bench	100	6	19	4	0	0	5	6	0/0	.190/.257/.230	.487
Pitchers	25	0	4	0	0	0	3	0	0/0	.160/.160/.160	.320
Totals	884	93	213	38	3	23	88	77	26/9	.241/.308/.369	.677	.300

Pitcher	G	W-L	Sv	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA	WHIP	FIP
Kershaw	5	2-2	--	26.2	22	7	7	15	28	2.36	1.388	2.63
Weaver*	1	1-0	--	5.0	6	2	2	0	4	3.60	1.200	4.12
Billingsley	6	3-1	--	38.1	32	18	16	19	34	3.76	1.330	4.19
Kuroda	6	1-4	--	37.1	32	18	17	6	33	4.10	1.018	3.15
Milton	2	0-1	--	9.1	15	7	5	1	10	4.82	1.714	2.61
Wolf	6	0-2	--	32.2	33	19	19	11	17	5.23	1.347	5.89
Starters	26	7-10	--	149.1	140	71	66	52	126	3.98	1.286	3.92
Mota	13	1-1	--	16.0	7	1	1	2	11	0.56	0.563	2.86
Weaver*	4	1-1	--	8.0	11	1	1	1	9	1.13	1.500	1.25
Belisario	14	0-0	--	14.1	11	2	2	2	13	1.26	0.907	1.86
McDonald	3	1-0	--	5.2	5	1	1	1	6	1.59	1.059	3.75
Leach	15	1-0	--	9.0	3	2	2	4	7	2.00	0.778	4.60
Troncoso	14	0-0	1	16.2	11	5	4	9	8	2.16	1.200	5.26
Schlichting	2	0-0	--	2.2	1	2	1	5	2	3.38	2.250	12.04
Broxton	12	1-0	7	11.2	8	5	5	3	21	3.86	0.943	1.33
Wade	8	2-0	--	9.1	8	7	7	3	7	6.75	1.179	7.01
Relievers	26	7-2	8	93.1	65	26	24	30	84	2.31	1.018	3.52
Totals	26	14-12	8	242.2	205	97	90	82	210	3.34	1.183	3.83

*Jeff Weaver's stats were split into his starting and relieving duties.

Sean Connery SNL picture above via www.HFBoards.com

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The Mota line is unreal.

by Tripon on Jul 1, 2009 12:53 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the write up

If there’s anything I’ll chose to take from this month, and these 49 games we’ve played without Manny, is that this is a strong team without him, stronger than I thought, far better than last year’s pre-manny squad. I expect Manny’s presence to be felt immediately in the line-up, even though I think he’ll need a good time to readjust

I must say I’m definitely starting to believe this Giants squad is for real, and certainly expect them to get better with anyone other than Bengie in the clean up spot after the trade deadline. While the idea of the Giants coming back makes me sick to my stomach, its always fun when the rivalry means something.

O.A.

by Ollie on Jul 1, 2009 12:56 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Continue to be scared of the Giants if you will

I do find it interesting that BtB’s stat-based power rankings last week had them 21 slots below the Rockies. Not that this is gospel, and if they add a legit bat they’ll be better, but they’re not playing as well as their record.

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Jul 1, 2009 7:52 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

1 game above

The Giants, like the Dodgers, are +1 win as compared to their pythag. Maybe you meant something else, but I don’t see them as playing above their record. The Giants have the fewest runs allowed in the NL, beating out the second place Dodgers by 12 runs, the third place Cubs by 20 runs and the next closest (Pittsburgh) by 42. Their pitching is outstanding (second only to the Dodgers in a slew of Stats).

They are not a great team only because of a lack of offense, but they are not overplaying their total talent by much.

by Paul Scott on Jul 1, 2009 8:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not just speaking about Pyth

The Giants are 3rd in the NL there, so that’s legit (though the Rockies are 2nd). However, I can see their pitching faltering a bit more than their offense lighting fire. And winning streaks tend to be easier to come by with good hitting teams than good pitching teams – if 4 or 5 SP’s catch fire for a few starts and the solid offense is there, you get a winning streak. If 4 or 5 hitters catch fire, it’s still half of your offensive production. Since the Giants are SO bad offensively, they would theoretically be easier to catch than other teams. Just a thought.

I do feel very confidently that the Rockies will finish higher than the Giants, though maybe not as strongly as the BtB Power Rankings seem to indicate. Fwiw though, Baseball Prospectus gives the Rockies double the chance to make the playoffs, with 87 wins to SF’s 84.

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Jul 1, 2009 9:17 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If the rosters remain the same you may be right

but with the Giants having a legit shot at the WC, I think they have a better shot at improving their team then the Rockies. Most teams need pitching and there is none, but the Giants need hitting and plenty of that should be available depending on how much they want to pay for it.

by meercatjohn on Jul 1, 2009 9:29 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's very valid

and that’s the only thing that makes me worry about the Giants, which sounds silly, since they’ve been ahead of the Rox since Week 2.

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Jul 1, 2009 9:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

"depending on how much they want to pay for it"

I think it’s more complicated than that. The curse of a rich farm system is that teams talking trade with you don’t settle for your second tier prospects even if they’re better than other teams top tier prospects. I call it the Shiny Object Syndrome. Teams will be so enamored with the Buster Posey/Madison Bumgarners of that system that they won’t settle for the Noonan’s or Tanner’s or other players the Giants would be more willing to part with. It makes it very difficult to match up in a trade if you’re looking for an equal value exchange.

by Rox Girl on Jul 1, 2009 9:45 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

Excellent point…in recent years (this year not so much) it seemed the Dodgers were getting asked for more in return than other teams.

by Eric Stephen on Jul 1, 2009 9:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Giants may win the division

SF has the edge offensively at catcher, first, short and third. If they get a corner outfielder who can bang, look out. Loney, Furcal, and Martin are all having terrible years. Loney’s RBI total is due to Pierre’s and Hudson’s OBP; unbelievably, Travis Ishikawa is doing better than Loney. And of course SF has two starting aces plus Randy Johnson. LA has better relievers, but SF doesn’t really need much in that department.
So it really may come down to late season acquisitions. SF knows what they need to do. I’m not sure LA does.

by seesdifferent on Jul 1, 2009 10:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Giants realistically are playing for the Wild Card

If the Dodgers go .500 the rest of the way — which seems very conservative — they will finish with 91 wins. To catch a 91-win Dodger team, the Giants have to go 49-37 the rest of the way, playing at a rate (.563 I believe) higher than what they’ve done so far this season, and higher than any team other than the Dodgers in the National League.

If you think the Giants are underachieving and the Dodgers are overachieving, then certainly a scenario where the Dodgers are caught is feasible to imagine. But realistically, it would require a hot Giants team to get hotter, and a still-tough Dodger team to collapse. Their job is made even harder by the fact that Colorado is so close to them, and those team play each other a bunch more times.

If you want to fear the Giants, fear that they will overcome Philly or St. Louis or Milwaukee or whichever team they draw in the NLDS and then can bring their Lincecum/Cain/Johnson pitching phalanx into a seven-game NLCS against the Dodgers.

by DRatt on Jul 1, 2009 10:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed on all points

LTNS here or at DT. Welcome (back).

by David Young on Jul 1, 2009 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks, glad to be here

This is a great blog.

I read DT as much as ever and still love it. But for some reason I’m not moved to comment there as much. The concomitant gain in productivity has yet to be noticed, however, by my employers.

by DRatt on Jul 1, 2009 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

They're tired...

I think the telling stat of the month is that the regulars started 95% of the games. I think Torre needs to start getting some guys some rest. That will obviously be helped by MannyBManny coming back, but my guess is that the slide of Orlando and JP were due to that. Who knows about Raffy and Martin; they’ve been struggling all year.

Martin gets 3 days off right now and since no one voted any starters to the AllStar game from the team w/the best record in baseball (when was the last time that happened?), plus the 3 other days off in the month, a lot of people will be getting some days off.

Great write up…

by KellyStephen on Jul 1, 2009 7:26 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The slide of JP

was because he is JP, not because he is tired. With his game, the only way he can replace a good chunk of Manny’s offense is to hit .400. His .628 OPS for June is a drop from his career numbers (.721 career OPS), but he has had entire seasons close to that mark. For most of his career he played every game of every season. JP is not tired; he is just hitting closer to expectations.

by Paul Scott on Jul 1, 2009 7:50 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

take away that flukie 13 game home winning streak earlier and the dodgers look positively mediocre ….

by shooterm1 on Jul 1, 2009 8:03 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Well, if you look at it that way, I guess. You could also take away the 1972 Lakers’ 33-game winning streak and they don’t look as good either. Seems disingenuous to me.

The Dodgers have the best record in baseball. You obviously don’t like that fact. You only seem to comment when something negative happens, and this year you simply haven’t had much to bitch about.

Do us all a favor and go away, unless you would like to bring something to the table besides snide comments and worthless crap.

by Eric Stephen on Jul 1, 2009 8:08 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

And if you take away 13 Dodger losses

then WOW! Best team in history!!!! So, what is your point?

by Paul Scott on Jul 1, 2009 8:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love that

My other favorite is when people say, if X,Y, and Z don’t happen for the Dodgers and the opponent does A and B then the Dodgers wouldn’t be in 1st place.

Right, so if everything goes wrong for the Dodgers and everything goes right for everybody else, maybe the Dodgers would not be in first place.

by Michael White on Jul 1, 2009 8:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Excellent

My favorite part of chicken littlism is when people automatically assume the team with the recent hot streak will continue that indefinitely rather than look at their overall record, and that the team that has been comfortably in front all season is all of a sudden a horrible team because of more recent play.

by Eric Stephen on Jul 1, 2009 8:22 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I hope you haven't gotten that impression from anyone at the Row

The Rockies and Dodgers have spent most of the season moving slowly towards who they actually are. The runs are part of it, but just as indicative as the first month or two. I suppose the managerial change points to extra legitimacy towards the Rockies’ success, but that’s probably negated by the flukiness of the run itself

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Jul 1, 2009 8:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like the Rockies fans who post here

No silly baiting, just intelligent posts and fun trash talking stuff. The Rockies are really the only opponent where we see fans from the other side over here at TBLA. I like it, it makes for a fun series.

by Michael White on Jul 1, 2009 8:40 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

That's good to hear

Eric and Brendan are the most active and cordial posters from other teams at the Row – it’s a bit unexpected that they are both Dodger people.

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Jul 1, 2009 9:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No, not at all. You are an excellent bunch over there, that are cordial to me whenever I comment over there (or make a bold and foolish prediction).

Mine was more of a reaction to the “sky if falling” comments by Dodger fans both here and Dodger Thoughts.

by Eric Stephen on Jul 1, 2009 8:42 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hey!

If you take away the games the Rockies and Dodgers have played, the Rockies would have the best WP% in the NL! Too bad they count :(

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Jul 1, 2009 8:17 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well played. :)

by Eric Stephen on Jul 1, 2009 8:20 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

So the Dodgers are 15-14 in their last 29 games. Let’s just say they go .500 for the rest of the season. That would put them at 91-71.

To catch them…

the Giants would have to go 49-37 (.570)
the Rockies would have to go 50-35 (.588)

What if assume the Dodgers are slightly better than a .500 team. Let’s say they play at an 85-win pace over the final 84 games…that would add 44 wins and make them 93-69.

To catch them…

the Giants would have to go 51-35 (.593)
the Rockies would have to go 52-33 (.612)

Let me just say I am skeptical that both:

a) the Dodgers will play that badly
b) either the Giants or Rockies will play that well

by Eric Stephen on Jul 1, 2009 8:28 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Sigh. I agree

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Jul 1, 2009 8:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

FYI, for what it’s worth, I’m still on the bandwagon. Torre looked across the diamond and saw Jim Tracey in the other dugout and had to feel good about his chances. And yes the Giants have a great starting staff but still no hitting over the long haul.

by KellyStephen on Jul 1, 2009 8:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ahh, the classic Bobby Knight / Dale Brown exchange. I love that one.

Here’s a stat that makes me feel good about the Dodgers/Giants:

During the Manny Ramirez suspension, the Dodger offense struggled to the point that it averaged “only” 4.47 runs per game, which is more than the Giants have averaged all season (4.09 per game).

by Eric Stephen on Jul 1, 2009 8:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That doesn't surprise me

Your entire lineup could hit cleanup for Frisco except Pierre, Furcal and Martin (this year)

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

by Andrew T. Fisher on Jul 1, 2009 9:04 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let’s hope that average increases tonight.

Everything thought that the Dodgers were going to fold during these 50 games, but they’ve proven that they are a solid team without Manny. Let’s hope they’re even better with him (again).

by KellyStephen on Jul 1, 2009 8:55 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Great writeup Eric

We got through June with a winning record, with Russell Martin driving in ONE run. I don’t know how we won more games but we did. Actually I do know, the bullpen was electric, Andre hit just enough home runs to offset the rest of the pathetic offense, and we have a solid rotation.

Tim Brown’s story is the same we keep hearing that the rotation is not built for the playoffs or the long haul of the season. Yet, whose is at this point? Another story for another day but let us just state that right now our rotation is looking good when compared to our other possible playoff peers.

by meercatjohn on Jul 1, 2009 9:04 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I have to pick the Ethier 3-homer game as Favorite Game of the Month

1. I was there, and it was the first time I ever sat in the RF pavilion.
2. That was only the third time ever that a Dodger had hit 3 HR in a game in DS. (Six opponents have done it – one was the famous Kingman’s Performance game.)

by David Young on Jul 1, 2009 9:44 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs