Dodgers Week 8 in Review: Hitless Wonders

The Dodgers continued a couple of trends this week, one good and one bad, and the result was a .500 week.  The Dodgers continued their trend of not scoring during the regular season at Wrigley Field, dropping a series to the Cubs, but they also continued to torment the Rockies, winning their ninth straight series against Colorado.

Dodger Batter of the Week:  Casey Blake wins again for the second straight week, and he was really the only option.  The Beard hit .333/.333/.583 with three doubles and a home run.  Even with Blake's solid week, the Dodger offense resembled 1988 Alfredo Griffin at the plate, hitting a buck ninety-nine.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week:  John Ely was magnificent in his return to his hometown of Chicago, allowing a measly run in 7 1/3 innings, but he loses out to Clayton Kershaw this week, by virtue of Kershaw getting two starts to Ely's one.  Kershaw was stellar in his own right, allowing two earned runs in two starts, striking out 13 with a 1.64 ERA.  Ely will get his chance at the award next week, as he is scheduled to start twice.

Week 8 Record:  3-3
20 runs scored (3.33 per game)
27 runs allowed (4.50 per game)
.366 pythagorean winning percentage

Season Record:  28-22
244 runs scored (4.88 per game)
238 runs allowed (4.76 per game)
.511 pythagorean winning percentage (26-24)

Part-Time RBI Machine:  Being the backup catcher to Russell Martin doesn't lend itself to regular playing time, but A.J. Ellis has made the most of it.  Ellis drove in a run on Saturday in Colorado, his fourth straight start with an RBI.  On the season, Ellis has made six starts, and has driven in a run in five of those games, with six RBI in total.

Decisions, Decisions:  For each of the last 15 games, Dodger starting pitchers have gotten the decision, their longest streak of the season, and a testament to how much deeper into games they are pitching.  Dodger starters are 10-5 during that strech, averaging 5.98 innings per start, after averaging 5.43 innings in the first 35 games of the season.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road:  Coming into Sunday in Colorado, the Dodgers had lost all four rubber games away from home this season; that is the final game of a tied series.  After losses in Miami, Cincinnati, Washington, and Chicago, the Dodgers broke the losing string by beating the Rockies in Denver.

Rockie Mountain High:  The Dodgers defeated the Rockies twice this week, for their ninth straight series victory over Colorado.  They haven't lost a series to the Rockies since August 2008, and have defeated Colorado in 21 of their last 28 encounters.  In addition, the Dodgers have won 15 of 20 games within the National League West in 2010, the best intra-divisional record in baseball.

The Palette Cleanser:  The Dodgers have lost three games by eight or more runs this season.  All three games were on a Saturday, and were followed by a Clayton Kershaw start on a Sunday day game.  Kershaw struck out nine batters in all three games, and allowed a total of three runs in three games, all Dodger wins.

This One Goes to Eleven:  When Rafael Furcal was activated from the disabled list on Tuesday in Chicago, reliever George Sherrill was placed on the DL to make room on the active roster.  It marked the first time since April 23, 2008 that the Dodgers had as few as 11 pitchers on the active roster.  The Dodgers went a total of 292 consecutive pre-September games with 12 or more pitchers on the 25-man roster:  231 games with 12 pitchers, and 61 with 13 pitchers.

Moving On Up:  In the sixth inning Saturday night in Colorado, Manny Ramirez hit an opposite field home run to give the Dodgers a lead they would not relinquish.  Not only was it his first home run since April 18 (after a drought of 73 plate appearances), and his first career home run in 13 games at Coors Field, but it was also his 549th career home run, moving him past Mike Schmidt for 14th place on the all-time list.

An Unfortunate Streak:  Ramon Troncoso, who pitched in 16 of the Dodgers first 24 games, and never with more than one day of rest, struggled entering the week.  He gave up a home run to Derrek Lee Tuesday in Chicago, his third straight game allowing a home run.  The only longer streak by a Los Angeles Dodger reliever was four games, by John Purdin in 1969.  After a couple days of rest, Troncoso rebounded with a pair of scoreless appearances in Colorado.

The Unfriendly Confines:  In their last 10 regular season games at Wrigley Field, dating back to 2008, the Dodgers have scored just 22 runs.  That includes two games of eight runs scored, and not much else.  The Dodgers scored lost seven of those 10 games, and scored a total of four runs in those seven games.  Their last three losses in Chicago against the Cubs were shutouts.

Birthday Boys:  With a win on Sunday, Manny Ramirez's birthday, the Dodgers evened their record on days of player birthdays.  They have won on April 9 (A.J. Ellis), May 7 (James Loney), and May 30 (Manny), and lost on April 7 (Ronnie Belliard), April 10 (Andre Ethier), and April 14 (Brad Ausmus).  The Dodgers also had off days on April 19 (George Sherrill) and May 13 (John Ely).  Dodger birthday boys have one hit in seven at-bats on the season.

Transactions: 

• Tuesday:  Rafael Furcal was activated from the disabled list after missing 2x games.  To make room for him on the roster, reliever George Sherrill was placed on the 15-day disabled list with mid-back tightness
• Thursday:  The Dodgers cut the cord with the final Ortiz, designating Ramon Ortiz for assignment. Justin Miller was recalled from Albuquerque to take his place
• Friday:  The Dodgers recalled Scott Elbert from Triple A, designating infielder Nick Green for assignment
• Sunday:  After the game in Colorado, the Dodgers optioned Elbert back to Albuquerque, recalling reliever Travis Schlichting to take his spot in the bullpen.

Game Results:

• Tuesday:  Cubs 3, Dodgers 0
• Wednesday:  Dodgers 8, Cubs 5
• Thursday:  Cubs 1, Dodgers 0
• Friday:  Dodgers 5, Rockies 4
• Saturday:  Rockies 11, Dodgers 3
• Sunday:  Dodgers 4, Rockies 3

Upcoming Week:  The Dodgers return home to start a 13-game homestand.  They begin on Memorial Day, with three against Arizona, and finish the week with four against the Braves.

Previous Weeks in Review: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7

Week 8 Stats

*FIP is estimated