Dodgers Week 9 In Review: Losses, Losses, And More Losses

The Dodgers had the roughest of weeks this week. Their offense didn't score, the pitchers were inconsistent, and the defense at times was terrible. The Dodgers lost six of seven games on the field during the week to a pair of fourth place teams in the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies, but their most significant loss was Matt Kemp, who is out at least four weeks with a left hamstring strain suffered Wednesday.

Despite their free fall, the Dodgers are still owners of the best record in baseball, though the question remains just how long can they keep this up?

Dodger Batter of the Week: The offense didn't do much for the week, averaging just two and a half runs per game, but Andre Ethier was the one constant for the week. Ethier hit .357 with four doubles and five RBI for the week.

Honorable mention goes to Bobby Abreu, who hit his first home run as a Dodger, put up a .400 on-base percentage, and even stole two bases; and to Ivan De Jesus (5-for-13, two doubles) and Alex Castellanos (2-for-5, triple) as well.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week: It was a tough week for the pitching staff, but Aaron Harang gets the call for allowing four runs in his two starts and for being the only starter to win a game during the week.

Honorable mention goes to Nathan Eovaldi, who was 0-2 despite allowing five total runs in his first two starts of the year; and to Scott Elbert, who retired nine of the 10 batters he faced, with only an intentional walk in his ledger.

Week 9 Record: 1-6
19 runs scored (2.71 per game)
35 runs allowed (5.00 per game)
.246 pythagorean winning percentage

Season Record: 33-21
232 runs scored (4.30 per game)
199 runs allowed (3.69 per game)
.570 pythagorean winning percentage (31-23)

Welcome Aboard: He didn't come up under the best of circumstances, with Matt Kemp going on the disabled list, but a now-healthy Alex Castellanos was called up to the Dodgers. He entered Thursday's game on defense in the eighth inning, then made his first major league plate appearance in the bottom of the inning. But in that first PA, Castellanos was hit by a pitch. After the game Castellanos still had a smile on his face as he recounted his first game. "It was fun. It just sucked that I got hit in the elbow," he said.

Men of Steal: Last Saturday before the Dodgers' game against the Houston Astros, I asked Davey Lopes about the state of Dodgers baserunning this season. While the team has improved running the bases in general, especially since an early season team meeting to address some early miscues, the Dodgers weren't as good at stealing bases.

"Stolen bases, am I happy with that? No, to be honest with you. No one is really doing as well this year as he did last year," said Lopes. "Last year's record was very good. This year is not even close, we've went backwards. It's something we'll have to adjust."

At the time, the Dodgers had 21 steals but were caught 18 times, a success rate of just 53.9% after finishing fourth in the National League in steals (126) and fifth in stolen base percentage (75.9%) last season. But since Saturday, the Dodgers have stolen 12 bases without getting caught, including a perfect 8-for-8 this week.

Transactions:

• Tuesday: After missing 14 games with a strained left hamstring, Matt Kemp was activated off the disabled list, and Jerry Sands was optioned back to Triple A Albuquerque.
• Thursday: Matt Kemp's return lasted all of one game and one inning, and he was put back on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain, and this time he will miss at least four weeks. Alex Castellanos was recalled from Triple A Albuquerque.

Game Results:

• Monday: Brewers 3, Dodgers 2
• Tuesday: Brewers 2, Dodgers 1
• Wednesday: Brewers 6, Dodgers 3
• Thursday: Brewers 6, Dodgers 2
• Friday: Rockies 13, Dodgers 3
• Saturday: Dodgers 6, Rockies 2
• Sunday: Rockies 3, Dodgers 2

Upcoming Week: The Dodgers run the David Bell Gauntlet this week, with road stops in Philadelphia and Seattle.

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

Week 9 Stats