Dodgers Week 24 In Review: Floundering, Yet Still Alive

The Dodgers continued to flounder last week, unable to seize the second National League wild card spot that is there for the taking. The Dodgers dropped four of six games, including a split with the Cardinals, and stand one game back of St. Louis with 15 games left to play.

It was another brutal week for the offense, as the eight regular position players, who made 46 of 48 possible starts and played in a combined 47 of 48 games, and hit a collective .188/.219/.318. The Dodgers scored eight runs on Friday night, and nine runs combined in their other five games.

Dodger Batter of the Week: There were really only two contenders this week, but Luis Cruz narrowly edged Andre Ethier thanks to his clutch heroics. Cruz hit a go-ahead three-run home run Friday, and drove home the tying run with a two-out double in the ninth inning on Saturday. Ethier continued his hot final month with two more home runs.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week: Shaking off a sore hip, Clayton Kershaw gutted out seven strong innings on Tuesday, earning this award. He only gave up one unearned run but suffered defeat. But a bigger loss might be Kershaw's season, which hangs in the balance in Tuesday's meeting with Dr. Bryan Kelly in New York.

Honorable mention goes to Stephen Fife, who set a career high with nine strikeouts in five innings on Sunday; and to Josh Beckett, who allowed one run and struck out six on Thursday.

Week 24 Record: 2-4
17 runs scored (2.83 per game)
19 runs allowed (3.33 per game)
.449 pythagorean winning percentage

Season Record: 76-71
574 runs scored (3.90 per game)
558 runs allowed (3.80 per game)
.513 pythagorean winning percentage (75-72)

In Control: After making his the team in his seventh consecutive year as a non-roster invitee to spring training, Jamey Wright has quietly had a solid season in the Dodgers bullpen. He has been especially good of late, having not allowed a run since August 28. Wright hasn't walked a batter since August 26, and has two walks and 14 strikeouts in his last 22 appearances.

Everyday Randy: Left-handed specialist Randy Choate pitched in every game last week for the Dodgers, and he has pitched in the last seven games and 11 of the last 12 contests. Given his specialist role, Choate isn't quite approaching Mike Marshall, who appeared in a major-league record 13 straight games in 1974, but the southpaw has been a daily ritual for manager Don Mattingly. Since joining the Dodgers on July 25, Choate has appeared in 30 of 49 games, which equates to 99 games pitched over a full season. Choate's career high is 85 games pitched, accomplished with the 2010 Rays, and he is at 74 games and counting this year. With 15 games left in the season, Choate has a reasonable chance of setting a new personal best.

Transactions:

• Tuesday: After the Albuquerque Isotopes' season ended, the Dodgers called up three from Triple A. Dee Gordon was activated from the 60-day disabled list, while Stephen Fife and Elian Herrera were recalled. To make room for Gordon on the 40-man roster, Adam Kennedy was placed on the 60-day disabled list with a right groin strain, ending Kennedy's season.
  

Game Results:

• Tuesday: Diamondbacks 1, Dodgers 0
• Wednesday: Diamondbacks 3, Dodgers 2
• Thursday: Cardinals 2, Dodgers 1
• Friday: Dodgers 8, Cardinals 5
• Saturday: Dodgers 4, Cardinals 3
• Sunday: Cardinals 5, Dodgers 2 (12)

Upcoming Week: The Dodgers run the Herm Winningham Gauntlet this week, starting a road trip by facing the two best teams in teh National League. The Dodgers haven't announced who will start beyond Aaron Harang on Tuesday. The pitching probables for the rest of the week for the Dodgers are my best guess.

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 | Week 19 | Week 20 | Week 21 | Week 22 | Week 23

Week 24 Stats