Dodgers Week 19 In Review: Call In The Wolf

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This was an up and down week for the Dodgers, starting with the high of winning the first two games handily in San Francisco, followed by the emotional low of losing three straight games, including one in gut punch fashion Saturday night in Arizona.  

Baseball took a back seat briefly on Saturday, as Hiroki Kuroda was hit in the head by a line drive, and had to be taken to the hospital.  The good news was that there was no bleeding or fractures, and his CT scan was negative, so he will be okay soon.  When he pitches again is up in the air, but the most important fact is that he is healthy.

In the end, the Dodgers finished 3-3 on the week, and although they lost a half game in their division lead, they gained a game in their cushion for a playoff spot, leading the Giants by 6½ games.  As the sands of the seasonal hourglass drift away, time is on the Dodgers side.

Dodger Batter of the Week:  Andre Ethier was the man this week, hitting .440/.500/.680 with seven RBI.  Honorable mention goes to Manny Ramirez and Matt Kemp, as all three outfielders were the top producers (in OPS).  If the Dodger offense is U2, the outfield is Bono and The Edge, while everyone else is Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week:  Randy Wolf came through with two very good, and very long starts, pitching into the eighth inning on both occasions, to win this award.  Honorable mention goes to Hiroki Kuroda, who pitched two excellent games as well, and was on his way to pitching deep into his second win of the week before getting hit in the head by a line drive on Saturday night.

Week 19 Record:  3-3
28 runs scored (4.67 per game)
18 runs allowed (3.00 per game)
.708 pythagorean winning percentage

Overall Seasonal Record:  70-48 (.593)
580 runs scored (4.92 per game)
463 runs allowed (3.92 per game)
.611 pythagorean winning percentage (72-46)

Pitching & HItting:  Not only did Randy Wolf retire 20 straight batters at one point, taking a one-hit shutout into the eighth inning Sunday against the Diamondbacks, but he also became just the sixth LA Dodger pitcher to collect three hits and a home run in the same game.

None Shall Pass:  Hiroki Kuroda didn't walk a batter on Saturday night, which was the 28th start of Kuroda's 46-start Dodger career in which he walked zero or one batter.  No LA Dodger pitcher in history has more such games in their first 50 games as a Dodger than Kuroda:

Vroom Vroom Party Starter:  Rafael Furcal has reached base via hit or walk in 25 straight games, hitting .297/.352/.414 with 18 runs scored during that stretch.

Emptying The Bases:  Matt Kemp had a pair of three-RBI hits to start the week, a three-run double on Monday and a three-run home run on Tuesday in San Francisco.  Kemp leads the Dodgers with seven 3+ RBI hits this season.  The Dodgers as a team have had 22 different 3+ RBI hits this season.

Transactions:  Only one move this week:

• Tuesday: Eric Stults was optioned to AAA Albuquerque after his one start, to make room for ...
  
• Tuesday:  Charlie Haeger and his fluttering knuckleball had his contract purchased from AAA Albuquerque, adding him to both the 40-man and 25-man rosters.  Haeger was called up earlier in the week just in case a long man was needed Wednesday in San Francisco.  He didn't pitch on that day, but is scheduled to start Monday against the Cardinals

Upcoming Week:  The Dodgers come back home this week for a full slate of games.  The Cardinals come to town for their comeuppance for three games, followed by four games against the Cubs.

Week 19 Stats