Dodgers Week 6 In Review: Hamstrings Have Been Toughest Opponent

The Dodgers returned home last week to Los Angeles, where they are the Kings of baseball. The Dodgers have swept four of their six opponents at Dodger Stadium this season, including the Rockies over the weekend. Add that to a series win over the Giants, and the Dodgers have the best record in baseball at 23-11.

Pretty much everyone contributed on the week, as 13 of the 14 position players scored at least once on the week, the starting pitchers combined for a 2.52 ERA, and six of the seven relief pitchers allowed no runs on the week.

Everyone needed to contribute, as the Dodgers lost a pair of players to left hamstring strains of various degrees, and the week ended with perhaps the most important left hamstring on the team, that of Matt Kemp, awaiting an MRI.

But the Dodgers end the week with a 12-4 record against the National League West, and a six-game lead over the Giants, the largest divisional lead in all of baseball.

It was quite a week.

Dodger Batter of the Week: Catcher A.J. Ellis continued his amazing start to 2012 by setting a new career high with four RBI on Sunday, just part of a week in which he was 7-for-15 with a home run, a triple, and a double.

Honorable mention goes to Andre Ethier, who hit .455 with four doubles and a home run. Honorable mention also goes to the entire bench, who combined to hit .480 (12-for-25) with nine RBI.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week: This week was a tough choice, with Aaron Harang edging Chris Capuano by a nose. Each allowed only a solo home run to the Rockies, but Harang lasted eight innings, compared to seven for Capuano.

Honorable mention goes to the bullpen as a whole. Todd Coffey allowed a pair of runs in 2/3 of an inning, but the other six relievers combined to pitch 14 scoreless innings, with three walks and 13 strikeouts.

Week 6 Record: 5-1
36 runs scored (6.00 per game)
14 runs allowed (2.33 per game)
.849 pythagorean winning percentage

Season Record: 23-11
151 runs scored (4.44 per game)
117 runs allowed (3.44 per game)
.615 pythagorean winning percentage (21-13)

30/30 Watch: Matt Kemp had no home run, no stolen bases, and one balky left hamstring against the Giants and Rockies this week. On the season, Kemp has 12 homers and two steals in 34 games. Kemp is on pace for 57 home runs and 10 steals this season.

That's What Friends Are For: On Wednesday against the Giants, Scott Van Slyke made his major league debut, and delivered a broken bat single for a run. Van Slyke was the first Dodger to collect a pinch hit RBI in his first major league at-bat since Carl Warwick in 1961.

In A Pinch: In a span of three games, Tony Gwynn Jr. delivered the go-ahead run(s) with a pinch hit two times, on Wednesday against the Giants and on Friday against the Rockies. Gwynn was 3-for-3 as a pinch hitter on the week

Transactions:

• Wednesday: Juan Rivera was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a ruptured left hamstring, and Scott Van Slyke was recalled from Triple A Albuquerque.
• Friday: Jerry Hairston Jr. was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring, and Justin Sellers was recalled from Triple A Albuquerque.

Game Results:

• Monday: Dodgers 9, Giants 1
• Tuesday: Giants 2, Dodgers 1
• Wednesday: Dodgers 6, Giants 2
• Friday: Dodgers 7, Rockies 3
• Saturday: Dodgers 2, Rockies 1
• Sunday: Dodgers 11, Rockies 5

Upcoming Week: The Dodgers stay in southern California all week, running the Reggie Sanders Gauntlet, hosting the Diamondbacks for two games, heading down to San Diego for two games, then returning home to host the defending champion Cardinals for the weekend.

Previous Weeks In Review: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5

Week 6 Stats