Dodgers Week 22: Upside down

The Dodgers had by far their worst week of the season, dropping six of seven games, including ending the week with three straight losses to the lowly Padres. They were also swept by the Diamondbacks, a series that saw starting pitchers get absolutely shelled.

The trend continued through the weekend, save for Clayton Kershaw’s return from the disabled list on Friday night in San Diego. Even counting Kershaw’s six scoreless innings, Dodgers starting pitchers allowed 29 runs in 29⅔ innings in seven games.

That taxed the bullpen, who pitched nearly as many innings as the starters (27⅔), and for the most part did very well until hitting a wall over the weekend.

Topping things off, the offense was essentially a no-show, hitting .229/.299/.381 for the week, averaging barely over three runs per game. That was just another ingredient in a recipe for a .143 week.

After not dropping a single series for almost three months -- the Dodgers were 19-0-3 in series during that span — they have now lost three consecutive series.

Batter of the week

Justin Turner turned on the power last week, with five doubles and a home run, the latter a ninth-inning game-tying shot on Saturday. He was 9-for-23 (.391) for the week and is second in the National League with a .332 batting average, trailing Charlie Blackmon (.340) of the Rockies. No Dodger has won a batting title since Tommy Davis in 1963.

Pitcher of the week

Clayton Kershaw was dominant in his return, pitching six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts on Friday against the Padres. He allowed only two infield singles, and not a single ball was hit to the outfield.

Week 21 results

Record: 1-6
23 runs scored (3.83 per game)
40 runs allowed (6.67 per game)
.266 pythagorean record

Year to date

Record: 92-44
668 runs scored (4.91 per game)
466 runs allowed (3.43 per game)
.659 pythagorean record (90-46)

Transactions

Wednesday: Cody Bellinger was activated from the 10-day disabled list on the first day he was eligible to return, and Kyle Farmer was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Friday: On the first day of active roster limits expanding, Rob Segedin was recalled from OKC, Alex Verdugo and O`Koyea Dickson had their contracts purchased from Triple-A, Clayton Kershaw was activated from the 10-day DL and Andre Ethier was activated from the 60-day DL. To make room on the 40-man roster for Verdugo, Dickson and Ethier, the Dodgers transferred Grant Dayton to the 60-day DL and designated outfielder Brett Eibner and pitcher Luis Ysla for assignment. Fabio Castillo was also recalled from Triple-A.

Saturday: Brock Stewart was recalled from Triple-A to start the first game of a doubleheader, and Wilmer Font had his contract purchase from Oklahoma City. To make room for Font on the 40-man roster, pitcher Jordan Jankowski was designated for assignment.

Sunday: Alex Wood was activated from the DL to start the series finale against the Padres.

Current active roster count: 34

Game results

Tuesday: Diamondbacks 7, Dodgers 6

Wednesday: Diamondbacks 6, Dodgers 4

Thursday: Diamondbacks 8, Dodgers 1

Friday: Dodgers 1, Padres 0

Saturday: Game 1 - Padres 6, Dodgers 5

Saturday: Game 2 - Padres 7, Dodgers 2

Sunday: Padres 6, Dodgers 4

The week ahead

The Dodgers run the Quinton McCracken gauntlet, returning home to play the pesky Diamondbacks for three, then the Rockies for four games. Arizona currently owns the top wild card spot in the National League and has won 10 straight, while Colorado has seen its lead in the second wild card spot shrink to a half-game over the Brewers.

The pitching probables for the Arizona series is set, but the weekend matchups are an educated guess.

Previous weeks in review: Apr. 3-9 | Apr. 10-16 | Apr. 17-23 | Apr. 24-30 | May 1-7 | May 8-14| May 15-21 | May 22-28 | May 29-Jun 4 | June 5-11 | June 12-18 | June 19-25 | June 26-July 2 | July 3-9 | July 10-16 | July 17-23 | July 24-30 | July 31-Aug. 6 | Aug. 7-13 | Aug. 14-20 | Aug. 21-28

Stats