Dodgers July review: A taste of first place

The roster went through some changes in July, and the Dodgers gained ground in the standings. After starting the month 3½ games back in the National League West, the Dodgers were in first place for 18 days in July, then ended the month a half-game back.

The Dodgers led the National League in runs allowed per game (3.23) in July and ranked second in runs scored (4.85) and during the month. They ranked fourth in the majors in run differential (+42).

After setting a franchise record with 55 home runs in June, the Dodgers’ July total of 33 home runs might seem small, but it still was just four shy of the major league lead.

Dodgers relief pitchers posted a 2.61 ERA during July, second in the majors behind the Phillies.

Batter of July

Yasmani Grandal was on fire during the month, hitting .364/.488/.727 with six home runs, setting personal monthly records in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and walks (16). Grandal is just the second Dodgers catcher with a 1.200 OPS in a month with 75 or more plate appearances in the last 111 seasons, joining Mike Piazza (June 1997).

Newcomer Manny Machado, who was acquired in a 5-for-1 deal at the All-Star break, hit .286/.407/.469 with a pair of home runs in 12 games with the Dodgers.

Notable: Chris Taylor hit .267/.316/.438 and led the club with 20 RBI, but also became the second Dodger ever with 40 strikeouts in a month. The first was Cody Bellinger in May 2017.

Pitcher of July

Clayton Kershaw was back into form during July, posting a 1.95 ERA with 28 strikeouts during the month. It was his highest July ERA in six years. He pitched at least six innings in all five starts. Kershaw walked five batters during the month, and at the plate walked four times.

Rich Hill was a touch behind, posting a 2.42 ERA with 31 strikeouts, and holding opposing batters to just .208/.276/.313. Honorable mention goes to Caleb Ferguson, who excelled out of the bullpen with 18 strikeouts against only one walk to go with his 1.20 ERA in 15 innings of relief, picking up his second major league win and first two saves.

Record: 16-10
126 runs scored (4.85 per game)
84 runs allowed (3.23 per game)
.677 pythagorean winning percentage (18-8)

Record: 59-49
506 runs scored (4.69 per game)
415 runs allowed (3.84 per game)
.590 pythagorean winning percentage (64-44)

Game of the month

The second day of July saw the Dodgers set season highs in both runs (17) and hits (21), a win over the Pirates that included four players hitting a home run and both Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig driving in four runs apiece. Kemp was 5-for-5 with four runs scored, culminating a stretch of hits in eight straight at-bats. Grandal, fitting for the month, reached base five times. But the capper for this game was the three-inning save for Caleb Ferguson, his first of two during the month, with the 16-run win the largest margin of victory in a game featuring a Dodgers save.

Situational stats

Pinch hitting: Dodgers pinch hitters for in July were 9-for-36 with two doubles, five walks and a hit by pitch, hitting .250/.372/.306. Chase Utley was 5-for-10 (.556) with two doubles and a hit by pitch in this role during the month.

Runners in scoring position: The Dodgers for the month with RISP hit .274/.389/.399. They ranked 10th in MLB in July with 260 plate appearances in those situations.

Bases loaded: The Dodgers in July were 11-for-31 (.355) with 11 singles, a walk and a hit by pitch with the bases loaded, driving in 19 runs.

July months in review: June 25-July 1 | July 2-8 | July 9-15 | July 16-22 | July 23-29

The month ahead

After a July with lots of gray uniforms, the Dodgers have a home-heavy August with 16 games at Dodger Stadium and 11 games on the road. Seven of the road games are interleague contests, with trips to Oakland, Seattle and Arlington. The only National League road games for the Dodgers this month are four games at Coors Field from Aug. 9-12.

Stats