Wherever the Dodgers ultimately finish in the National League standings this season, let it be said they went down swinging. The red-hot September offense lines up to take more licks against the Cubs on Saturday morning at Wrigley Field.
In 17 September games, the Dodgers have scored four or more runs 13 times, averaging a robust 6.06 runs per contest in the regular season's final month. In September the club is hitting .300/.360/.472.
Here is how good the month has been - even when removing the largest two outbursts (17 runs last Saturday in Chicago, 14 runs on Friday), September is still the highest-scoring month of the season for the Dodgers.
Who is contributing? Just about everybody:
- Dee Gordon is hitting .338 (22-for-65) with a .348 on-base percentage and an NL-best 16 runs scored in 13 games, and has seven consecutive multi-hit games.
- Yasiel Puig is hitting .300/.382/.450 with two home runs and 10 runs scored in 15 games.
- Adrian Gonzalez is hitting .265/.333/.500 with four home runs and 15 RBI in 17 games.
- Matt Kemp is hitting .297/.324/.656 with six home runs, tied for most in the majors, and 16 RBI in 17 games.
- Hanley Ramirez is hitting .357/.400/.464 with six doubles, 10 runs scored and 10 RBI.
- Carl Crawford is hitting .438 (21-for-48) in September with nine extra-base hits and 13 RBI in 16 games, including only 11 starts.
- Scott Van Slyke is hitting .350 (7-for-20) with a home run.
- Juan Uribe is hitting .386 (22-for-57) with three home runs and 11 RBI in 16 games.
- Justin Turner is hitting .400 (12-for-30) with four extra-base hits and eight RBI
- A.J. Ellis is hitting .205/.321/.341 with two home runs, eight RBI and eight walks.
- Andre Ethier is 2-for-9 (.222) with a double but also has a .462 on-base percentage.
- Even Dodgers pitchers are hitting .219 (7-for-32) with a home run, a double, and a .586 OPS (the major league OPS for pitchers in September is .318).
The Dodgers will need that offense the remainder of the weekend in Chicago.
With all the talk of a possible bullpen game either on Sunday or Monday, that glosses over the fact that in the last five days the Dodgers have needed 23⅔ innings of relief, nearly five innings per game, and that Saturday's starter Roberto Hernandez hasn't lasted past 4⅓ innings in any of his last three starts.
Felix Doubront starts for the Cubs, the fourth left-handed starter the Dodgers will have faced in five games.
The Dodgers are 25-15 (.625) against southpaw starters this season, second-best mark in the majors, and at 48-31 (.608) own the best road record in the majors.
Game info
Seven of the Dodgers' final eight games will be able to be watched on television in the Los Angeles market, beginning with Saturday's national game on Fox.
Time: 10:05 a.m. PT
TV: FOX