Dodgers Week 4: Late offense, and a win streak

Last week began with the Dodgers below .500 with fans worrying about their slow start, but seven days full of close games concluded with a four-game winning streak.

That included two wins in the Dodgers’ final at-bat, plus a thrilling signature win on Saturday over the Phillies that won’t be forgotten for a long time, with back-to-back-to-back home runs to erase a three-run deficit in the ninth.

Last week saw the debut of Cody Bellinger, who was thrown into the fire to fill the void in left field and held his own in his first six major league games, hitting a pair of prodigious home runs in Saturday’s classic.

We also saw the 2017 debut of Julio Urias, who is here for good, per Dave Roberts, adding to a starting rotation that excelled all week. All six starters. Yes, six.

The Dodgers won four straight games to close out the week, including a sweep of the Phillies at home. All four wins, including Thursday’s finale against the Giants in San Francisco, saw the Dodgers score at least five runs, the first time the Dodgers have done so in four straight games this season.

The Dodgers are 10-2 (.833) when scoring five or more runs in a game this season. They were 54-12 (.818) last season.

After beginning the week four games back in the National League West, then falling five back after a Monday loss, the Dodgers ended the week just two games back of Colorado.

Batter of the week

Justin Turner hit the third of the three straight home runs in the ninth inning on Monday, just one of his myriad of hits throughout the week. Turner was 14-for-26 (.538) with two doubles and that home run, and has a 16-game hitting streak.

Honorable mention goes to Corey Seager, who hit two home runs in the low-scoring environment at AT&T Park, hitting .333/.481/.619. The kid, Cody Bellinger, in his first taste of major league action, hit .286/.375/.571.

Pitcher of the week

Alex Wood made a strong case to remain in the rotation on Wednesday in San Francisco, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning against the Giants. He allowed just two baserunners in six scoreless innings in a no-decision.

Clayton Kershaw, always a candidate for this award, gets honorable mention for seven strong innings on Tuesday in San Francisco, striking out seven while allowing just one run. Special mention also goes to Hyun-jin Ryu, who rebounded from a poor start to his season with two promising starts last week, including striking out nine on Sunday for his first win since 2014.

Lots of close games meant lots of Kenley Jansen, who saved three games and won another. He recorded 11 outs during the week without allowing a run, and nine of the outs were by strikeout.

Week 4 results

Record: 5-2
26 runs scored (3.86 per game)
19 runs allowed (2.71 per game)
.655 pythagorean record

Year to date

Record: 14-12
112 runs scored (4.31 per game)
92 runs allowed (3.54 per game)
.589 pythagorean record (15-11)

Transactions

Monday: Center fielder Joc Pederson was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a groin strain, and outfielder Brett Eibner was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City one day after he was optioned.

Tuesday: Top prospect Cody Bellinger was called up from Triple-A to make his major league debut. To make room, Brett Eibner was optioned to Triple-A and pitcher Joe Gunkel was designated for assignment.

Thursday: Julio Urias was recalled from Triple-A to start against the Giants, and relief pitcher Adam Liberatore was optioned back to Oklahoma City.

Thursday: The Marlins claimed Joe Gunkel off waivers.

Saturday: Relief pitcher Grant Dayton was activated from the disabled list, and pitcher Josh Fields was optioned to Triple-A.

Game scores

Monday: Giants 2, Dodgers 1

Tuesday: Dodgers 2, Giants 1

Wednesday: Giants 4, Dodgers 3 (10 innings)

Thursday: Dodgers 5, Giants 1 (10 innings)

Friday: Dodgers 5, Phillies 3

Saturday: Dodgers 6, Phillies 5

Sunday: Dodgers 5, Phillies 3

The week ahead

This week the Dodgers run the Terry Kennedy gauntlet, hosting the Giants for three before heading out on the road to face the Padres.

The Dodgers could get much of the cavalry back this week, with Franklin Gutierrez likely activated Tuesday to face southpaw Matt Moore, then potentially both Joc Pederson and Logan Forsythe back by the weekend in San Diego.

Dave Roberts said Saturday the Dodgers would stick with the six-man starting rotation one more time through, which goes through the Padres series. The Padres probables for the weekend are an estimate.

Previous weeks in review: Apr. 3-9 | Apr. 10-16 | Apr. 17-23

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