Welcome to the dead ball era. The Dodgers ended their interleague play schedule on a downward spiral, dropping five of six games on the road to the Athletics and Angels. Their offense was historically bad in Oakland with eight hits in three games, the first time since at least 1918 that the franchise hit three or fewer hits in three straight games.
The Dodgers continued their penchant for one-run games, delivering five one-run contests in their six games against the Angels and White Sox. The one game that wasn't a one-run game was a 5-2 win by the Dodgers on Tuesday, a game that was a one-run game heading into the bottom of the eighth.
Well, that was quite a turnaround, wasn't it? One week after not only losing their superstar but also six of seven games, the Dodgers hit the road and accomplished two rarities, winning six of their seven games during the week.
The Dodgers had the roughest of weeks this week. Their offense didn't score, the pitchers were inconsistent, and the defense at times was terrible. The Dodgers lost six of seven games on the field during the week to a pair of fourth place teams in the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies, but their most significant loss was Matt Kemp, who is out at least four weeks with a left hamstring strain suffered Wednesday.
The Dodgers completed their second full week without Matt Kemp, and continued to thrive despite the adversity of missing their superstar and three other starting position players. Just about everyone stepped up during the week on offense in one way or another, but the backstops brought the power.
The Dodgers lost Matt Kemp to the disabled list on Monday, the worst possible way to open the week. But the Dodgers managed to rebound to win five of their seven games during the week without their superstar outfielder.
The Dodgers returned home last week to Los Angeles, where they are the Kings of baseball. The Dodgers have swept four of their six opponents at Dodger Stadium this season, including the Rockies over the weekend. Add that to a series win over the Giants, and the Dodgers have the best record in baseball at 23-11.
The Dodgers were two outs away from a .500 road trip on Sunday, but a blown save later highlighted what was a bad week for the bullpen. Dodgers relievers gave up 12 runs in 14 1/3 innings during the week, and allowed 36 baserunners while recording only 43 outs.
Runs were at a premium at Dodger Stadium this week, and the Dodgers rode great starting pitching and timely hitting to four wins against a pair of playoff contenders from the National League East in the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals.
The Dodgers had a chance to wrap up a nice week on the road, but had a stinker on Sunday against the Astros. But even after the 12-0 loss it was a break-even week for the boys in blue. Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw did their things, which highlighted the week.
