Dodgers Week 8: Strong for starters

Strong pitching was the driver for the Dodgers last week, with a 24-inning scoreless streak on the staff that ran from Tuesday to Saturday. Hyun-jin Ryu has a scoreless streak of his own, reaching 31 innings after seven scoreless innings on Sunday in Cincinnati.

The LA rotation had a 1.10 ERA with 39 strikeouts against only two walks, and the result was four wins in five games over the Padres and Reds.

Dodgers starting pitchers have a 2.99 ERA on the season, second-best in MLB, and since the team’s six-game losing streak in April the rotation has a 2.41 ERA, fueling the team to a 23-9 surge.

Batter of the week

Cody Bellinger is back at the top of the heap this week after three more home runs while leading the team in runs, hits, home runs, RBI and walks. Honorable mention goes to Joc Pederson, who hit two home runs, and to Max Muncy and his .984 OPS.

Pitcher of the week

On Wednesday against San Diego, Kenta Maeda struck out 12, the most by any Dodgers pitcher all season, and pitched scoreless baseball into the seventh inning. Honorable mention goes to Rich Hill, who struck out 10 in six scoreless innings Friday in Cincinnati in his best start of the season. In the Dodgers’ first 44 games, they had a pitcher strike out 10-plus one time before Maeda and Hill had the back-to-back double-digit performances.

Hyun-jin Ryu also deserves mention, tossing up another seven scoreless frames on Sunday, extending his scoreless streak to 31 innings, tied for the 10th longest in LA Dodgers history.

Week 8 results

4-1 record
22 runs scored (4.40 per game)
10 runs allowed (2.00 per game)
.809 pythagorean record

Season to date

31-17 record
249 runs scored (5.19 per game)
184 runs allowed (3.83 per game)
.635 pythagorean record (30-18)

Miscellany

The walk gap: Dodgers batters have more walks than any other team (197), and Dodgers pitchers have walked fewer batters than any other team (110). On average, they have nearly two more walks than their opponents each game (1.81).

The century mark: Joc Pederson on Tuesday homered against Chris Paddack, making him the 28th player in franchise history to hit 100 home runs with the Dodgers. By age, Pederson is the fifth-youngest Dodger to reach the milestone at 27 years, 23 days old, and did so in the sixth-fewest plate appearances (2,002).

Mound & plate: Kenta Maeda singled home both runs in the Dodgers’ win on Wednesday against the Padres, all while striking out a season-high dozen. He’s just the fifth pitcher in franchise history with 12 or more strikeouts and two or more RBI in a game, and the first since Brad Penny in 2007.

On target: Justin Turner has been hit by seventh pitches this season, fourth-most in the majors. That included a hit by pitch in both games against the Padres last week. That made four consecutive games with a HBP for Turner, tying Hughie Jennings’ 119-year old franchise record. Turner’s 65 HBP with the Dodgers ranks third in franchise history, behind Hall of Famers Zack Wheat (73) and Jackie Robinson (72).

Feeling left out: The Dodgers lineup on Saturday in Cincinnati started with six consecutive left-handed batters, the first time they did that since Sept. 22, 2016, when they started seven straight lefties to begin the lineup against Colorado (this counts the switch-hitter Yasmani Grandal, who batted lefty against a right-handed pitcher).

Home sweet home: The Dodgers are 19-6 at Dodger Stadium this year, the best home record in the NL and second only to Houston (16-4) in the majors. Since the start of 2015, the Dodgers own a .654 winning percentage at Chavez Ravine, the best home mark in MLB during that span and with nine more home wins than any other team (Cubs are second, with 220 wins at Wrigley). That .654 win percentage translates to a 106-win pace over a 162-game season.

Transactions

Tuesday: After his arrest for alleged domestic abuse, Julio Urias was placed on administrative leave by MLB during a league investigation into the incident. JT Chargois was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take Urias’ spot on the active roster.

Thursday: Caleb Ferguson was activated from the injured list after missing 16 games with an oblique strain, and Chargois was sent back to OKC. Rocky Gale was also optioned to Triple-A in a flourish of roster moves.

Friday: Kenta Maeda was placed on the injured list with a left adductor contusion, which in medical terms means “we have four off days in an 11-day stretch and only need four starters next week.” Matt Beaty was recalled from Oklahoma City just a few days after his mandatory 10-day option period, and was joined by outfielder Kyle Garlick, the Cal Poly Pomona product called up the majors for the first time.

Game results

• Tuesday: Dodgers 6, Padres 3
• Wednesday: Dodgers 2, Padres 0
• Friday: Dodgers 6, Reds 0
• Saturday: Reds 4, Dodgers 0
• Sunday: Dodgers 8, Reds 3

Stats

Previous weeks in review: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7

The week ahead

The Dodgers run the John Jaso gauntlet, continuing their road trip with a brief set in Tampa Bay followed by a weekend series in Pittsburgh. The first interleague series of the season for the Dodgers comes with their second consecutive week with two days rest.