Dodgers Week 18 review: Kenley Jansen, streaks galore

The Dodgers continued their march toward a division title this week, winning five of six games against the Yankees and Cubs. The offense was up and down, but the pitching staff made it all stand up. The Dodgers ended the week with their first extended sweep at Wrigley Field since 1988.

At their low point the Dodgers were 30-42, after play on June 21. But since then they are 31-7, and have improved from 12 games under .500 to 12 games over.

For the week, the Dodgers turned a 2½-game lead in the National League West into a 5½-game advantage.

Seemingly the only thing that can derail the Dodgers is bad health. The injury bug struck over the weekend in Chicago. Yasiel Puig suffered a left thumb contusion on Saturday that caused him to miss Sunday, though he was on deck to pinch hit if needed in when the top of the ninth inning ended. Then on Sunday, Hanley Ramirez jammed his shoulder while making a catch into the stands. The team awaits results tests on Monday to see the extent of that.

But on the field, this is as good as it gets. The Dodgers set a franchise record with 14 consecutive road wins, and their 31-7 run is the best mark in club history since 1953.

Dodger Batter of the Week: After enduring a slump in and round the All-Star break, Yasiel Puig rebounded with a stellar week, hitting .412 (7-for-17) with a home run and two doubles, and even walked four times.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week: Normally when Clayton Kershaw pitches eight scoreless innings, the award would be his, but this week closer Kenley Jansen was the man. He pitched half as many innings as Kershaw, but also had double the strikeouts. Jansen retired all 12 batters he faced, including a staggering 10 by strikeout.

Kudos to Lyle Overbay, who flew out to left field Tuesday, and to Nate Schierholtz, who grounded to first base on Saturday. Those two were the only two batters Jansen faced this week and didn't strikeout.

Game of the Week

Tuesday: Dodgers 3, Yankees 2 I was tempted to pick Kershaw vs. Kuroda but that ended with the only loss of the week. We'll go with the walk-off win on Tuesday against the Yankees.

Week 18 Record: 5-1
19 runs scored (3.33 per game)
11 runs allowed (1.83 per game)
.731 pythagorean winning percentage

Season Record: 61-49
435 runs scored (3.95 per game)
418 runs allowed (3.80 per game)
.518 pythagorean winning percentage (57-53)

Transactions:

• Tuesday: Nearly 16 months after he had Tommy John surgery, former San Francisco closer Brian Wilson signed a major league contract with the Dodgers. Wilson was immediately placed on the 15-day disabled list, with a plan to join the big league team within two or three weeks.
• Wednesday: Adding to the catching depth on their 40-man roster, the Dodgers acquired Drew Butera from the Twins for a player to be named later or cash considerations, then optioned Butera to Triple-A Albuquerque.
• Wednesday: The bench was fortified with some power as Scott Van Slyke was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque, with Elian Herrera sent down to the Isotopes.
• Sunday: After missing 23 games with right shoulder bursitis, Stephen Fife was activated from the disabled list to make the start on Sunday in Chicago. Scott Van Slyke was optioned back to Triple-A.

Game Results:

• Tuesday: Dodgers 3, Yankees 2
• Wednesday: Yankees 3, Dodgers 0
• Thursday: Dodgers 6, Cubs 4
• Friday: Dodgers 6, Cubs 2
• Saturday: Dodgers 3, Cubs 0
• Sunday: Dodgers 1, Cubs 0

Upcoming Week: The Dodgers run the Miguel Cairo gauntlet, with four games in St. Louis against the Cardinals followed by hosting the Rays at Dodger Stadium for the first time ever.

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