Dodgers Week 10 In Review: Peaks & Valleys

The Dodgers started the week on such a high note, sweeping the Cardinals, including games started by Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright.  However, the Angels came to town and turned the tables on the Dodgers and swept them in their home.  In their home!  Where their wives sleep, and their children come and play with their toys.  I never thought an 8-5 homestand could be so disappointing.

Both series last week followed the same pattern: a blowout victory in the first game, followed by a pair of close games. 

Dodger Batter of the Week:   Manny Ramirez had a nice return to the living this week, hitting .333/.400/.722 with five extra-base hits in his five starts.  James Loney and Russell Martin also cracked the 1.100 OPS barrier, but Manny gets the nod for his game-winning double on Tuesday.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week:  It was a nice comeback week for a couple of 35+ year-olds, as Hiroki Kuroda threw seven scoreless innings against the Cards on Tuesday.  Honorable mention goes to the back end of the bullpen, as Jonathan Broxton, Hong-Chih Kuo, Ronald Belisario, and Ramon Troncoso combined for 12 scoreless innings.

Week 10 Record:  3-3
25 runs scored (4.17 per game)
27 runs allowed (4.50 per game)
.465 pythagorean winning percentage

Season Record:  36-27
292 runs scored (4.63 per game)
290 runs allowed (4.60 per game)
.503 pythagorean winning percentage (32-31)

One Run Is Enough:  The Dodgers' 1-0 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday was their third 1-0 win of the homestand, as they also beat Arizona 1-0 in back-to-back games last week.  The only other time the Dodgers had three 1-0 wins on the same homestand was September 19, 20, and 24 in 2000.

Oh-Fers:  Matt Kemp and Casey Blake both had tough weeks.  Blake didn't get a hit all week, going 0-for-12, while Kemp ended his week in an 0-for-16 slump.  Kemp's strikeout on Sunday lowered his OPS to .798, the first time he has been below .800 since April 9, the fourth game of the season.  Of course, after that game on April 9, Kemp proceeded to hit seven home runs in his next 10 games.

Tough Homestand:  Andre Ethier was activated from the disabled list just in time for the start of the 13-game homestand.  Since the beginning of 2009, Ethier had hit .333/.400/.678 in 97 games at Dodger Stadium, with 29 doubles, 30 home runs, and 91 runs batted in.  However, Ethier hit .220/.281/.340 on the homestand with no home runs and two RBI in 13 games, although he did hit six doubles.  He does not have a home run in his last 16 home games, the second longest-streak of his career.

Transactions: 

• Monday:  Charlie Haeger was placed on the disabled list again, this time with a sprained right big toe.  Jon Link was called up for one night as an extra arm in the bullpen, and ended up pitching two innings against the Cardinals
  
• Tuesday:  George Sherrill returned from the disabled list, and Link was optioned to Triple A Albuquerque for a club-leading third time this season.

Game Results:

• Monday:  Dodgers 12, Cardinals 4
• Tuesday:  Dodgers 1, Cardinals 0
• Wednesday:  Dodgers 4, Cardinals 3
  
• Friday:  Angels 10, Dodgers 1
• Saturday:  Angels 4, Dodgers 2
• Sunday:  Angels 6, Dodgers 5

Upcoming Week:  After a season-long 13-game homestand the last two weeks, the Dodgers head out on the road.  They leave Monday for Cincinnati to start a three-game series with the Reds on Tuesday, then head to Boston to play the Red Sox.

Previous Weeks in Review: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9

Week 10 Stats

*FIP is estimated