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The Dodgers flexed their might last week, riding a high-octane offense and excellent starting pitching to four wins in five games in Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh.
Sunday concluded a 6-2 road trip for the Dodgers, who own the best record and run differential in the National League, and at 35-18 have a seven-game lead in the National League West, their largest advantage of the season.
Batter of the week
Justin Turner was on fire, hitting .600 (9-for-15) with a double, two walks and even a stolen base. Turner on Sunday was 5-for-5 with. walk, setting career highs for both hits (he had nine games with four hits) and times on base (he reached base five times in six games). Turner started the week hitting .276/.375/.423 and ended it hitting .304/.396/.444 on the season, a 42-point OPS leap in just four games.
Turner gets the nod over an also-deserving Joc Pederson, who hit .500 (8-for-16) while leading the team in RBI (six) and extra-base hits (four), and also walked three times without striking out.
Pitcher of the week
Walker Buehler shut down the Pirates on Friday by allowing one run in six innings. He narrowly beat Rich Hill, who also allowed one run in six innings but to Tampa Bay, and Hill walked one more batter and allowed a home run, while Buehler kept Pittsburgh in the park.
Week 9 results
4-1 record
36 runs scored (7.20 per game)
22 runs allowed (4.40 per game)
.711 pythagorean record
Season to date
35-18 record
285 runs scored (5.38 per game)
206 runs allowed (3.89 per game)
.644 pythagorean record (34-19)
Miscellany
For starters: Dodgers starting pitchers posted another solid week with a 2.76 ERA and 28 strikeouts against only four walks. Kenta Maeda went five innings on Sunday, snapping a 12-game streak with Dodgers starting pitchers lasting at least six innings. It was the longest streak for the franchise since a 12-game stretch from July 31-Aug. 5, 2005.
Men of steal: The Dodgers stole three bases last week and on the season have stolen 19 bases in 23 attempts, the second-best SB rate (82.6%) in the majors. Since Cody Bellinger was caught stealing on Apr. 21, the Dodgers are 13 for 13 in steal attempts.
Out of left field: A grand slam by David Freese highlighted a five-run first inning for the Dodgers on Friday in Pittsburgh, their sixth inning scoring at least five runs this season. It also foiled the Pirates’ plan of using an opener, with the right-handed Michael Feliz retiring only one of his six batters faced. The lefty Matt Beaty singled to open the game, but with left-hander Steven Brault following Feliz on the mound for Pittsburgh, Beaty was replaced in left field by the right-handed Chris Taylor in the bottom of the first. So Beaty’s first major league game in the outfield consisted of one start, one at-bat and zero actual time in left field.
Double trouble: In their win over the Pirates on Saturday the Dodgers tied a Los Angeles franchise record with eight doubles, including one from Hyun-jin Ryu high off the wall in right center field. It was just the second time since moving west the Dodgers hit eight doubles in a game, along with July 2, 1978 against Cincinnati. The club record is nine, done twice in Brooklyn (July 24, 1894 against the Boston Braves, and June 4, 1939 against Philadelphia). The seven different players to hit a double on Saturday tied a franchise record, at least dating back to 1908.
The most painful RBIs: Kiké Hernandez and Austin Barnes were hit by pitches with the bases loaded in consecutive plate appearances on Sunday. It was the first time the Dodgers have had two bases-loaded HBP in a game since at least 1925 (which is how far the Baseball-Reference Play Index goes, for certain individual plays).
Walking the plank: The Dodgers on Sunday completed a season sweep of the Pirates, outscoring Pittsburgh 44-20 in the six games this year. LA has beaten Pittsburgh 10 straight times, and since the start of 2017 is 18-2 against the Pirates.
Transactions
Tuesday: Julio Urias was activated after a week on administrative leave by MLB during investigation of his domestic battery incident. Kyle Garlick was optioned to Triple-A, with the Dodgers going back to their usual 13-pitcher, 12-position player roster.
Friday: Garlick made a quick return for the weekend series in Pittsburgh, temporarily taking the place of reliever Joe Kelly, who was placed on the bereavement list.
Sunday: Kenta Maeda returned from the injured list on his first day eligible, and Garlick was optioned to Oklahoma City.
Game results
- Tuesday: Dodgers 7, Rays 3
- Wednesday: Rays 8, Dodgers 1
- Friday: Dodgers 10, Pirates 2
- Saturday: Dodgers 7, Pirates 2
- Sunday: Dodgers 11, Pirates 7
Stats
Week 9 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 |
| Pederson | 16 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0.500 | 0.579 | 0.938 | 1.516 | 0.467 | Pederson |
| Turner | 15 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 0.600 | 0.611 | 0.667 | 1.278 | 0.563 | Turner |
| Barnes | 10 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0.300 | 0.462 | 0.500 | 0.962 | 0.750 | Barnes |
| Seager | 20 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0.300 | 0.417 | 0.500 | 0.917 | 0.294 | Seager |
| Muncy | 23 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0.261 | 0.320 | 0.522 | 0.842 | 0.238 | Muncy |
| Bellinger | 21 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0.238 | 0.360 | 0.476 | 0.836 | 0.235 | Bellinger |
| Hernandez | 15 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0.200 | 0.368 | 0.200 | 0.568 | 0.250 | Hernandez |
| Verdugo | 11 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 0.182 | 0.286 | 0.273 | 0.558 | 0.200 | Verdugo |
| Beaty | 17 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0.176 | 0.176 | 0.176 | 0.353 | 0.200 | Beaty |
| Starters | 148 | 30 | 45 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 174 | 0.304 | 0.397 | 0.480 | 0.876 | 0.323 | Starters |
| Freese | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0.429 | 0.556 | 1.000 | 1.556 | 0.500 | Freese |
| Taylor | 11 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0.364 | 0.417 | 0.545 | 0.962 | 0.500 | Taylor |
| Martin | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 0.286 | 0.400 | 0.286 | 0.686 | 0.333 | Martin |
| Garlick | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | Garlick |
| Bench | 27 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 0.333 | 0.424 | 0.556 | 0.980 | 0.421 | Bench |
| Pitchers | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0.167 | 0.167 | 0.333 | 0.500 | 0.167 | Pitchers |
| Offense | 181 | 36 | 55 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 35 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 27 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 216 | 0.304 | 0.394 | 0.486 | 0.881 | 0.329 | Offense |
Week 9 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 |
| Buehler | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1.50 | 1.000 | 1.70 | Buehler | |
| Hill | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1.50 | 1.167 | 4.03 | Hill | |
| Kershaw | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 2.84 | 1.105 | 1.15 | Kershaw | |
| Ryu | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.00 | 1.667 | 2.20 | Ryu | |
| Maeda | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5.40 | 1.000 | 6.80 | Maeda | |
| Starters | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 29.3 | 31 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 2.76 | 1.193 | 3.03 | Starters |
| Alexander | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.857 | 3.20 | Alexander | ||
| Garcia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.500 | 1.20 | Garcia | ||
| Urias | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.500 | 1.20 | Urias | ||
| Jansen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.000 | 1.20 | Jansen | ||
| Stripling | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6.00 | 1.667 | 3.53 | Stripling | ||
| Baez | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 2.000 | 6.20 | Baez | ||
| Ferguson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 27.00 | 3.500 | 12.20 | Ferguson | ||
| Floro | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1.3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27.00 | 3.000 | 15.20 | Floro | ||
| Bullpen | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14.7 | 19 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 7.98 | 1.500 | 5.11 | Bullpen |
| Totals | 21 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 44.0 | 50 | 22 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 36 | 3 | 4.50 | 1.295 | 3.72 | Totals |
Previous weeks in review: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8
The week ahead
The Dodgers run the Gregg Jeffries gauntlet this week, back home to face the Mets and Phillies for seven games.
Week 10 schedule
| Mon, May 27 | Tue, May 28 | Wed, May 29 | Thu, May 30 | Fri, May 31 | Sat, Jun 1 | Sun, Jun 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, May 27 | Tue, May 28 | Wed, May 29 | Thu, May 30 | Fri, May 31 | Sat, Jun 1 | Sun, Jun 2 |
| vs. Mets | vs. Mets | vs. Mets | vs. Mets | vs. Phillies | vs. Phillies | vs. Phillies |
| 5:10 p.m. | 7:10 p.m. | 7:10 p.m. | 7:10 p.m. | 7:10 p.m. | 7:10 p.m. | 1:10 p.m. |
| Kershaw v. | Hill v. | Buehler v. | Ryu v. | Maeda v. | Kershaw v. | Hill v. |
| deGrom | Matz (L) | Syndergaard | Vargas (L) | Arrieta | Eflin | Pivetta |
| SNLA/KTLA/ESPN | SNLA/MLBN | SNLA | SNLA/KTLA | SNLA | SNLA/KTLA/MLBN | SNLA |