Dodgers Week 4: Back on track

The Dodgers rebounded from a truly bad week with an exceptionally strong performance. They won six of seven games thanks to a bolstered and revitalized starting staff and just enough offense to sweep the Reds and take a road series in Milwaukee.

The Dodgers played the Brewers seven times over a 10-day stretch and just like last year’s NLCS, Los Angeles was able to win four games. The weekend’s stretch at Miller Park featured not one but two game-winning home runs against fireman extraordinaire Josh Hader.

The six-win week vaulted the Dodgers back atop the National League West, and comfortably so.

Batter of the week

Cody Bellinger takes the crown again this week thanks to another ridiculous week, hitting .421 a pair of home runs and driving in six while getting on base half the time. Bellinger punctuated his week by hitting a game-winning homer on Sunday in the ninth inning, after earlier in the game robbing fellow MVP candidate Christian Yelich of a homer of his own.

This award could have easily gone to Joc Pederson, who slammed four home runs of his own and slugged .870, driving in six.

Pitcher of the week

In his final start before a long-planned shift to the bullpen, Julio Urias had his best start of the year, allowing only one hit in six scoreless innings against the formidable Brewers, whiffing a career-best nine.

Honorable mention goes to Walker Buehler, dominant in his lone start, and to Clayton Kershaw, who delivered a pair of quality starts in his first two appearances of 2019. It was quite a turnaround by the starting rotation last week, delivering quality on a nightly basis with a 1.91 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 42⅓ innings.

Week 4 results

6-1 record
27 runs scored (3.86 per game)
20 runs allowed (2.86 per game)
.634 pythagorean record

Season to date

15-9 record
136 runs scored (5.67 per game)
107 runs allowed (4.46 per game)
.608 pythagorean record (15-9)

Miscellany

Oh two: Prior to Friday in Milwaukee, Kiké Hernandez had never hit a home run on an 0-2 count, and was 14-for-146 (.096) in such at-bats in his career. Then he homered in an 0-2 count off Brewers ace reliever Josh Hader, who prior to that saw batters just 4-for-81 (.049) with no home runs and 62 strikeouts in an 0-2 count.

Homer sweet home: The Dodgers have hit at least one home run in every home game this season, 13 in all. Dating back to last season the Dodgers have homered in 32 consecutive regular season games at Dodger Stadium, tying the 1999 Rockies for longest such streak in major league history.

Welcome back, Yasiel: In his first at-bat as a visitor at Dodger Stadium, not too long after he showed up over an hour late to a scheduled press conference, Yasiel Puig announced his presence with his usual flair, taking Clayton Kershaw deep with a mammoth home run to center field.

Puig went 2-for-11 in the rest of the series against his former team.

Birthday boy: Joc Pederson hit two home runs on Sunday, the same day he turned 27 years old. In five career games on his birthday, Pederson is 11-for-20 (.550) with three home runs.

Transactions

Monday: Clayton Kershaw was activated from the injured list to make his season debut, and reliever Jaime Schultz was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Saturday: Hyun-jin Ryu was activated from the injured list, and reliever Josh Sborz was optioned to Triple-A.

Game results

• Monday: Dodgers 4, Reds 3
• Tuesday: Dodgers 6, Reds 1
• Wednesday: Dodgers 3, Reds 2
• Thursday: Dodgers 3, Brewers 1
• Friday: Dodgers 5, Brewers 3
• Saturday: Brewers 5, Dodgers 0
• Sunday: Dodgers 6, Brewers 5

The week ahead

The Dodgers run the Bill Madlock gauntlet, continuing their April stroll through the NL Central, heading to Wrigley Field to face the Cubs before returning home for a single-series homestand against the Pirates. There is some guessing with the rotations, especially with the pending but not yet definite returns of Rich Hill and Jon Lester.

Previous weeks in review: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3

Stats