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The Dodgers tried to overcome their previous, well-documented troubles in the clutch all in one week, winning three straight games against the division rival Diamondbacks to close out the week, games they trailed in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings respectively.
Sure the offense had trouble consistently scoring again, failing to top three runs in each of their last five games. But they won four of those games thanks to well-timed blows with the bats, and some magnificent pitching.
The result was a 5-1 week and all alone in first place for the first time since Aug. 7. The Dodgers gained 5½ games in the standings in 10 days.
Batter of the week
It would be hard to argue against Justin Turner winning this award again, what with his .520 on-base percentage and game-winning home run on Friday night. But I have instead succumbed to recency bias, with Matt Kemp erasing late deficits with a three-run home run on Saturday and a walk-off, two-run double on Sunday, dubbed by manager Dave Roberts as “two of the biggest hits of the year.”
Pitcher of the week
Dodgers pitching was excellent last week with a 2.33 ERA, a trio of seven-inning starts and four relievers pitching scoreless ball. Alex Wood takes the cake this time with his seven scoreless innings in Texas on Wednesday.
Week 23 results
5-1 record
21 runs scored (3.50 per game)
14 runs allowed (2.33 per game)
.677 pythagorean record
Season to date
75-62 record
644 runs scored (4.70 per game)
516 runs allowed (3.77 per game)
.600 pythagorean record (82-55)
Miscellany
Red hot: The month of August ended last week, on Friday, a month that saw Justin Turner hit .402/.491/.722. The last four times a Dodgers hitter batted .400 for a month (minimum 50 plate appearances) were all Turner:
Aug. 2018: .402
June 2017: .415
Mar./Apr. 2017: .404
June 2014: .400
In control: Hyun-jin Ryu has simply been fantastic this season, even if half of his campaign was wiped away by a torn groin muscle. After walking five in his opening start of 2018 Ryu has walked seven in 48 innings since, including walking more than one batter just once in nine starts.
Defensive play of the week that didn’t count: With a one-run lead in the seventh inning on Sunday, Cody Bellinger uncorked a fantastic throw from center field to nail Paul Goldschmidt, only to have the call overturned on replay review:
Defensive play of the week that did count: On Saturday to start the ninth inning, Kiké Hernandez ranged far to his left at second base to rob David Peralta.
You wanted a show? @kikehndez put on A SHOW. pic.twitter.com/vqMPYqRgI2
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 2, 2018
“That play that Kiké made was absolutely ridiculous, one of the best plays I’ve seen all year,” said Turner. “In a big moment like that, just wow. Unbelievable.”
Transactions
Thursday: Josh Fields was activated from the 60-day disabled list after missing more than two months with a right shoulder injury. Yimi Garcia was optioned to Class-A Rancho Cucamonga to make room on the active roster, and Rob Segedin was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
Friday: Ryan Madson was acquired from the Nationals for minor league reliever Andrew Istler. To make room on the 40-man roster, Adam Liberatore was designated for assignment.
Friday: Just before the 9 p.m. PT deadline to add players to be eligible for the postseason, corner infielder David Freese was acquired from the Pirates for minor league infielder Jesus Manuel Valdez. To create 40-man roster space, reliever Erik Goeddel was transferred to the 60-day disabled list, ending his season.
Saturday: On the first day active roster limits expanded from 25 to 40, the first wave of call ups from Triple-A Oklahoma City were Alex Verdugo, Andrew Toles, Kyle Farmer and Tim Locastro. a In addition, Chase Utley and Zac Rosscup were activated from the DL.
Sunday: Rocky Gale was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to give the Dodgers catching depth for the final month. To make room on the 40-man roster, Brock Stewart was recalled from Triple-A and placed on the 60-day DL with a strained right oblique.
Game results
- Tuesday: Dodgers 8, Rangers 4
- Wednesday: Dodgers 3, Rangers 1
- Thursday: Diamondbacks 3, Dodgers 1
- Friday: Dodgers 3, Diamondbacks 2
- Saturday: Dodgers 3, Diamondbacks 2
- Sunday: Dodgers 3, Diamondbacks 2
The week ahead
The Dodgers run the Daryl Boston gauntlet this week, hosting the Mets for three games before heading to Colorado to start a 10-game road trip.
Next week’s schedule
| Mon, Sep 3 | Tue, Sep 4 | Wed, Sep 5 | Thu, Sep 6 | Fri, Sep 7 | Sat, Sep 8 | Sun, Sep 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Sep 3 | Tue, Sep 4 | Wed, Sep 5 | Thu, Sep 6 | Fri, Sep 7 | Sat, Sep 8 | Sun, Sep 9 |
| vs. Mets | vs. Mets | vs. Mets | Off | at Rockies | at Rockies | at Rockies |
| 5:10 p.m. | 7:10 p.m. | 4:35 p.m. | 5:40 p.m. | 5:10 p.m. | 12:10 p.m. | |
| Wood | Hill | Ryu | Kershaw | Buehler | Wood | |
| v. deGrom | v. Vargas (L) | v. Wheeler | v. Gray | v. Freeland (L) | v. Anderson (L) | |
| SNLA/MLBN | SNLA/KTLA | SNLA/MLBN | SNLA | SNLA | SNLA |
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 | Aug. 13-19 | Aug. 20-26
Stats
Week 23 batting
| Player | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | HBP | SH | SF | PA | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | BABIP | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | HBP | SH | SF | PA | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | BABIP | Player |
| Turner | 19 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0.368 | 0.520 | 0.632 | 1.152 | 0.429 | Turner |
| Hernandez | 16 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 0.313 | 0.368 | 0.563 | 0.931 | 0.400 | Hernandez |
| Kemp | 14 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0.286 | 0.286 | 0.571 | 0.857 | 0.333 | Kemp |
| Machado | 21 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 0.238 | 0.320 | 0.524 | 0.844 | 0.214 | Machado |
| Pederson | 13 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0.385 | 0.429 | 0.385 | 0.813 | 0.455 | Pederson |
| Muncy | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0.182 | 0.357 | 0.455 | 0.812 | 0.200 | Muncy |
| Bellinger | 20 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0.200 | 0.200 | 0.500 | 0.700 | 0.214 | Bellinger |
| Puig | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0.167 | 0.167 | 0.333 | 0.500 | 0.222 | Puig |
| Dozier | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0.136 | 0.174 | 0.273 | 0.447 | 0.125 | Dozier |
| Grandal | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0.067 | 0.176 | 0.267 | 0.443 | 0.000 | Grandal |
| Taylor | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0.083 | 0.154 | 0.083 | 0.237 | 0.200 | Taylor |
| Starters | 175 | 19 | 39 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 54 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 196 | 0.223 | 0.296 | 0.429 | 0.724 | 0.263 | Starters |
| Verdugo | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ----- | 1.000 | ------ | 1.000 | ------ | Verdugo |
| Freese | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.333 | 0.500 | 0.333 | 0.833 | 1.000 | Freese |
| Barnes | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.400 | 0.400 | 0.400 | 0.800 | 0.500 | Barnes |
| Utley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | Utley |
| Locastro | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ----- | ------ | ------ | ------ | ------ | Locastro |
| Bench | 9 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0.333 | 0.455 | 0.333 | 0.788 | 0.500 | Bench |
| Pitchers | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0.333 | 0.333 | 0.333 | 0.667 | 0.500 | Pitchers |
| Offense | 190 | 21 | 44 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 59 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 214 | 0.232 | 0.305 | 0.421 | 0.726 | 0.282 | Offense |
Week 23 pitching
| Pitcher | G | GS | W | L | Sv | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | IBB | SO | HBP | ERA | WHIP | FIP | Pitcher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | G | GS | W | L | Sv | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | IBB | SO | HBP | ERA | WHIP | FIP | Pitcher |
| Wood | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.857 | 2.63 | Wood | |
| Kershaw | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2.57 | 0.571 | 6.06 | Kershaw | |
| Ryu | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2.57 | 0.571 | 3.63 | Ryu | |
| Buehler | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10.3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 2.61 | 1.065 | 2.14 | Buehler | |
| Hill | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5.0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 5.40 | 1.200 | 4.20 | Hill | |
| Starters | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36.3 | 24 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 33 | 2 | 2.48 | 0.853 | 3.56 | Starters |
| Baez | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.375 | 0.95 | Baez | ||
| Floro | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.000 | 2.20 | Floro | ||
| Alexander | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.000 | 1.20 | Alexander | ||
| Venditte | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | 1.20 | Venditte | ||
| Madson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.500 | 4.70 | Madson | ||
| Ferguson | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3.3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2.70 | 2.100 | 5.00 | Ferguson | ||
| Jansen | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4.0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4.50 | 1.750 | 1.95 | Jansen | |
| Maeda | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4.50 | 1.500 | 3.20 | Maeda | |
| Bullpen | 17 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 17.7 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 2.04 | 1.132 | 2.52 | Bullpen |
| Totals | 23 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 54.0 | 38 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 53 | 2 | 2.33 | 0.944 | 3.22 | Totals |