Dodgers Week 12 review: Great starts, poor finishes

The Dodgers technically did have a winning week at 4-3, nothing to sneeze at since it was just their third winning week in the last nine. But in many ways the week was a microcosm of the Dodgers' season, with great starts against the Reds and Diamondbacks, only to fall flat at the end of each series.

The silver lining of the 4-3 week for the Dodgers was gaining three games on San Francisco, a team that might not win 110 games after all.

Dodger Batter of the Week: Calf tightness prevented him from starting during the weekend, but that didn't stop Justin Turner from tying for the team lead during the week in hits (eight) and RBI (four). Turner hit .571 (8-for-14) and has a seven-game hitting streak. He narrowly beat out Matt Kemp, who hit .364 with a home run, a double and five walks; and Scott Van Slyke, who hit .400 and had a career day on Monday with two home runs in Cincinnati.

Dodger Pitcher of the Week: Even though he took the loss on Sunday, Josh Beckett had another very good week. He struck out 13 and walked only one, getting the nod over Clayton Kershaw by virtue of having an extra start.

Game of the Week

Monday: Dodgers 6, Reds 2 Scott Van Slyke homered twice and had a career day in Cincinnati. (Photo: David Kohl | USA Today Sports).

Week 12 Record: 4-3
26 runs scored (4.33 per game)
25 runs allowed (4.17 per game)
.518 pythagorean winning percentage

2014 Record: 37-34
300 runs scored (4.23 per game)
277 runs allowed (3.90 per game)
.536 pythagorean winning percentage (38-33)

Miscellany

Justin Turner, limited by calf tightness over the weekend, was 4-for-7 with runners in scoring position during the week and has nine hits in his last 14 at-bats in those situations. He has a multi-hit game in each of his last five starts. He is in current hot streaks of 12-for-24 (.500), 19-for-44 (.432) and even 30-for-78 (.385).

Yasiel Puig has not hit a home run since May 28. His 69 plate appearances and 16 full games since is the third-longest home run drought of his career. He had streaks of 75 (July 3-23) and 72 plate appearances (Aug. 2-19) without a home run in 2013.

A.J. Ellis was 2-for-4 with three walks after returning this week from the disabled list, and has walked in four straight games. He has reached base via hit or walk in nine straight games, with a .500 on-base percentage during that span.

Transactions

Friday: After missing 17 games with a sprained right ankle, catcher A.J. Ellis was activated from the disabled list, with catcher Tim Federowicz getting optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Saturday: Veteran utility man Chone Figgins was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left quad, and infielder Carlos Triunfel was recalled from Triple-A to take his spot on the bench.

Game Results

• Monday: Dodgers 6, Reds 2
• Tuesday: Dodgers 6, Reds 1
• Wednesday: Reds 5, Dodgers 0
• Thursday: Reds 4, Dodgers 1
• Friday: Dodgers 4, Diamondbacks 3
• Saturday: Dodgers 6, Diamondbacks 4
• Sunday: Diamondbacks 6, Dodgers 3

Upcoming Week

The Dodgers run the Jerald Clark gauntlet, finishing up the homestand with Colorado, then hitting the road in San Diego.

Previous weeks: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11

Week 12 Stats