Dodgers Week 17 In Review: An Extraordinary Ordinary Week

The Dodgers had a rather ordinary week, splitting their six games, but there was something about each of their three wins that made the week a memorable one. On Wednesday, Clayton Kershaw beat Tim Lincecum for the second time this season in a thriller, with the only run coming via a splash hit from the 1-0 King. On Saturday, the Dodgers trailed 6-2 in the third inning with Ted Lilly on the mound, yet managed to win 7-6, with the game winner coming from Rafael Furcal, after he shook off the cobwebs. Then, on Sunday, Chad Billingsley allowed the first four Nationals to reach base before dropping the hammer in a sort-of combined no-hitter.

Dodger Batter of the Week: In a week during which the Dodgers hit .207/.294/.277, there's only one clear candidate. It's the man who hit the team's only home run of the week, a shot into McCovey Cove on Wednesday to beat the Giants. Dioner Navarro also added a career-high three walks on Saturday, and in his three starts this week hit .286/.583/.714 in 12 plate appearances.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week: On Wednesday in San Francisco, Clayton Kershaw was outstanding, striking out a season high 12 hitters in eight scoreless innings, out-dueling Tim Lincecum for the 1-0 win. Kershaw had a game score of 87, which was the third highest this season by a Dodger. Kershaw has the top two, as well as six of the top eight. Kershaw and Justin Verlander are the only two pitchers in baseball this season with three starts with a game score of 87 or higher.

Week 17 Record:  3-3
16 runs scored (2.67 per game)
24 runs allowed (4.00 per game)
.323 pythagorean winning percentage

Season Record:  45-56
365 runs scored (3.61 per game)
408 runs allowed (4.04 per game)
.449 pythagorean winning percentage (45-56)

Remembering Big D: Before Saturday night's game, the Dodgers honored Hall of Famer Don Drysdale on what would have been his 75th birthday. The Dodgers played a nearly four-minute video tribute to Drysdale at the stadium, an absolute must see.

Sliding Head First To Avoid Aggravating The Splinters: Eugenio Velez was the man promoted from Albuquerque when Dee Gordon was optioned to Triple A, in part because the Dodgers didn't mind him sitting on the bench and hardly playing (the Juan Castro role). Velez entered Saturday's game as a pinch runner, his first game action in two weeks. Velez stole his first base as a Dodger, and also scored his first run, tying the game in the seventh inning on a wild pitch, a game the Dodgers would win in the ninth inning.

Transactions: None this week, but there figure to be at least a few moves before next Sunday's trade deadline.

Game Results:

• Monday: Giants 5, Dodgers 0
• Tuesday: Giants 5, Dodgers 3
• Wednesday: Dodgers 1, Giants 0
• Friday: Nationals 7, Dodgers 2
• Saturday: Dodgers 7, Nationals 6
• Sunday: Dodgers 3, Nationals 1 

Upcoming Week: The Dodgers finish out their nine-game homestand with a week full of divisional foes, running the 2007 NLCS gauntlet as Colorado and Arizona come to Los Angeles.

Previous Weeks In Review: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16

Week 17 Stats