Dodgers Week 21: Running to stand still

The Dodgers had dominant starting pitching and an offense that averaged nearly six runs a game last week, and only three of the nine relievers who pitched allowed runs. But a series of horrible timing made what could have been a four- or five-win week into a 3-3 run on the hamster wheel.

The bullpen allowed tying or go-ahead runs in the eighth inning or later in all three games of the Giants series, culminating a seven-game stretch without Kenley Jansen in which seven different relievers gave up either the tying or go-ahead runs in the seventh inning or later. All three Dodgers losses last week came in the opponents’ final at-bat.

Two offensive booms in Seattle buoyed the week, and sandwiched a game that saw a Dodgers comeback of their own in the eighth and ninth inning against dominant relievers get wiped away by another case of bad timing, with a balk-off producing the most creative bullpen misstep yet.

A .500 week for the Dodgers made them 14-15 since the All-Star break, through the toughest part of their schedule. The stagnancy now sees the Dodgers two games back in the National League West and 1½ games out of a wild card spot, but in third place in the division and with four teams ahead of them in the race for the play-in game.

“It’s kind of now or never,” Clayton Kershaw said Sunday, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, “We’d better start playing. We’d better get good.”

Batter of the week

Justin Turner is on fire, hitting .500 (13 for 26), and he led the team last week in home runs (three), doubles (three), hits, runs scored (eight) and RBI (seven). His fellow August scorcher Cody Bellinger gets honorable mention, going 10-for-24 (.417) with a home run and four walks.

Pitcher of the week

Clayton Kershaw takes this award thanks to a pair of stellar starts, allowing two runs in 15 innings during the week, with 16 strikeouts. This is probably unfair that Hyun-jin Ryu didn’t take the honor with his six scoreless innings in his first start back off the disabled list, but look at it this way: Kershaw had Ryu’s week, plus nine more innings with two runs allowed and 10 more strikeouts.

Week 21 results

3-3 record
34 runs scored (5.67 per game)
17 runs allowed (2.83 per game)
.780 pythagorean record

Season to date

67-58 record
594 runs scored (4.75 per game)
481 runs allowed (3.85 per game)
.595 pythagorean record (74-51)

Miscellany

The 200 club: Matt Kemp had a 79-plate appearance power drought that ended on Friday night in Seattle, with his first home run since July 22. The dinger made Kemp the seventh player to hit 200 home runs with the Dodgers. Up next on the franchise list is Steve Garvey in sixth place with 211 homers.

Double your pleasure: Justin Turner on Tuesday against the Giants hit three doubles, tying a Dodgers franchise record. It was the 28th such game since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, and the 56th game since 1908. Coupled with Chase Utley’s three doubles on Apr. 28, this is the first year with two Dodgers 3-double games since Jeff Kent and Juan Pierre in 2007.

Immaculate inning: In the final inning of the week, left-hander Zac Rosscup finished off a 12-1 blowout with three strikeouts in the ninth against the Mariners, on nine pitchers. It was just the second immaculate inning by a Dodgers pitcher in the last two decades, joining Kenley Jansen on May 18, 2017.

Transactions

Tuesday: Alex Wood was activated from the disabled list to start against the Giants, and John Axford was placed on the 10-day DL with a fractured right fibula.

Wednesday: Hyun-jin Ryu was activated from the 60-day disabled list to make his first major league start in 105 days, and Ross Stripling was placed on the 10-day DL with lower back inflammation. To make room on the 40-man roster, Tony Cingrani was transferred to the 60-day DL.

Friday: Daniel Hudson was activated from the disabled list, and Erik Goeddel was placed on the DL with right elbow inflammation.

Game results

• Monday: Giants 5, Dodgers 2
• Tuesday: Giants 2, Dodgers 1
• Wednesday: Dodgers 4, Giants 3 (12)
• Friday: Dodgers 11, Mariners 1
• Saturday: Mariners 5, Dodgers 4 (10)
• Sunday: Dodgers 12, Mariners 1

The week ahead

The Dodgers run the Garry Templeton gauntlet (“If I ain’t startin’, I ain’t departin’”), back home to face the Cardinals and Padres. Friday sure looks like a Richard-Hill pitching matchup.

Previous weeks in review: Mar. 29-Apr. 1 | Apr. 2-8 | Apr. 9-15 | Apr. 16-22 | Apr. 23-29 | Apr. 30-May 6 | May 7-13 | May 14-20 | May 21-27 | May 28-Jun 3 | Jun 4-10 | June 11-17 | June 18-24 | June 25-July 1 | July 2-8 | July 9-15 | July 16-22 | July 23-29 | July 30-Aug. 5 | Aug. 6-12

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