Dodgers Week 18 In Review: Farewell, Rafael Furcal

The good news this week is that Davey Lopes is now wearing number 15 again, the number he wore as a player in Los Angeles, and one he hadn't worn with the Dodgers since Game 6 of the 1981 World Series. The bad news is that the previous owner of number 15 is no longer a Dodger, as Rafael Furcal is now a Cardinal.

Actually, it's not all bad news, as Furcal was healthy enough and played well enough to build up any kind of trade value, and it provided a smooth transition for Dee Gordon to take the reins at shortstop, where the Dodgers hope Gordon will remain for the better part of the next decade. Furcal went out with a bang, hitting .333/.444/.467 in his final week at Chavez Ravine.

On the field, the Dodgers were 3-3 for the second straight week. Last week, the feeling was a tad more upbeat as the team won Saturday and Sunday to even their weekly record, but this week began 3-1 so 3-3 doesn't seem so hot.

Dodger Batter of the Week: The award is split this week between both All-Star outfielders, as Matt Kemp hit .417/.462/.750 with nine RBI and Andre Ethier hit .435/.519/.609 and scored six times. Honorable mention goes to fellow outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr., who hit .316/.350/.579, and Jamey Carroll, who had eight hits in 16 at-bats as well as a souvenir baseball for picking up his 10th RBI of the season.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week: Hiroki Kuroda took the loss on Wednesday against Colorado, but he also allowed just one run in six innings while striking out six. Then on Saturday, Kuroda exercised his no-trade clause to remain a Dodger through at least the end of this season, providing a lesson that no matter what we think we know, there is no easy rubric to the mindset of professional athletes.

Week 18 Record:  3-3
28 runs scored (4.67 per game)
27 runs allowed (4.50 per game)
.517 pythagorean winning percentage

Season Record:  48-59
393 runs scored (3.67 per game)
435 runs allowed (4.07 per game)
.454 pythagorean winning percentage (49-58)

Transactions:

• Friday: The Dodgers placed Kenley Jansen in the 15-day disabled list with cardiac arrhythmia, and recalled reliever Josh Lindblom to take his place.
• Saturday: The Dodgers activated Casey Blake from the DL. To make room on the roster, the Dodgers placed Juan Uribe on the 15-day DL with a left hip strain
• Sunday: The Dodgers traded Rafael Furcal and approximately $2.5 million to St. Louis for Double A outifelder Alex Castellanos
• Sunday: The Dodgers recalled Dee Gordon from Triple A Albuquerque to take Furcal's place on the roster.
• Sunday: The Dodgers traded outfielder Trayvon Robinson to Boston (Robinson was shipped to Seattle as the second part of a three-team trade for Erik Bedard) for catcher Tim Federowicz (will report to Triple A) and pitchers Juan Rodriguez (headed for Class A Great Lakes) and Stephen Fife (going to Double A Chattanooga).

The Dodgers now have 38 players on their 40-man roster.

Game Results:

• Monday: Dodgers 8, Rockies 5
• Tuesday: Dodgers 3, Rockies 2
• Wednesday: Rockies 3, Dodgers 1
• Friday: Dodgers 9, D-Backs 5
• Saturday: D-Backs 6, Dodgers 4
• Sunday: D-Backs 6, Dodgers 3 

Upcoming Week: After a nine-game homestand, the Dodgers head out on the road facing a pair of National League West foes. The Dodgers play three in San Diego, followed by their usual Thursday day off, then head to Arizona to battle the Diamondbacks for the third time in four weekends.

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

Week 18 Stats