1988 Dodgers Week 12 review: Dave Anderson solid at short

The Dodgers overcame quite a lot last week to have one of their most satisfying weeks of the season. They lost short reliever Jay Howell to the disabled list, they saw 43-year-old Don Sutton looking near the end of his career, and they saw star Fernando Valenzuela get battered and couldn't get out of the first inning in his one start.

But thanks to everyone in the bullpen picking up the slack - four different pitchers notched saves during the week - and Shawn Hillegas welcoming himself nicely to the starting rotation, and fill-in shortstop Dave Anderson playing the best ball of his career, the Dodgers won five of six games to widen their lead in the National League West from 1½ to 3½ games over the Astros.

Dodger Batter of the Week: Shortstop Dave Anderson hit .450 (9-for-20) with three doubles and a triple, and drove in a team-high seven runs. He narrowly beat John Shelby, who hit .476 (10-for-21) with a pair of doubles and six RBI.

Anderson is hitting .314 with a .407 on-base percentage and has started 33 of 34 games while filling it at shortstop Alfredo Griffin, who broke his hand. Manager Tom Lasorda told Sam McManis of the Los Angeles Times that he will have a tough decision on his hand once Griffin returns:

"Anderson's doing a helluva job, super," Lasorda said. "To paraphrase the words of the great Chief, that's a great dilemma to have."

Dodger Pitcher of the Week: Tim Leary had a complete game win against the Braves and a decent outing against the Reds, and totaled 12 strikeouts in 14 innings. He narrowly beat out Shawn Hillegas, who in his first game of the year came within one out of a complete game victory against the Braves.

Honorable mention goes to Tim Crews, who pitched seven scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Crews was the only member of the five-man pen who didn't record a save during the week, with closer Jay Howell on the shelf.

Week 12 Record: 5-1

30 runs scored (5.00 per game)
21 runs allowed (3.50 per game)
.658 pythagorean winning percentage

Seasonal Record: 42-30

324 runs scored (4.50 per game)
258 runs allowed (3.58 per game)
.603 pythagorean winning percentage (43-29)

Statement about a second-year pitcher that couldn't possibly come back to haunt the Dodgers for years to come: The Dodgers on Monday beat Braves southpaw Tom Glavine for the fourth time this season. Glavine has a 6.33 ERA in those four starts, prompting McManis to write in the Times, "One pitcher the Dodgers definitely want to see, again and again, is Atlanta left-hander Tom Glavine. The Dodgers may be 9-12 against left-handed starters this season, but they are 4-0 against Glavine."

Transactions:

• Tuesday: Relief pitcher Jay Howell suffered a broken left rib and was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Sunday. Outfielder Jose Gonzalez was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque.

Game Results:

• Monday, June 20: Dodgers 7, Braves 3
• Tuesday, June 21: Dodgers 2, Braves 1
• Wednesday, June 22: Braves 4, Dodgers 1
• Friday, June 24: Dodgers 5, Reds 3
• Saturday, June 25: Dodgers 6, Reds 4
• Sunday, June 26: Dodgers 9, Reds 6

Upcoming Week: The Dodgers run the Frank DiPino Gauntlet, battling the Astros in Houston, then heading home to host the Cubs.

Previous 1988 weeks in review: Apr 4-10 | Apr 11-17 | Apr 18-24 | Apr 25-May 1 | May 2-8 | May 9-15 | May 16-22 | May 23-29 | May 30-Jun 5 | Jun 6-12 | Jun 13-19

Week 12 Stats