Dodgers Week 14: The win streak continues

It was a busy week for the Dodgers, who still haven’t lost since getting no-hit by the Cubs on June 24. They won two games against the Giants and four against the Nationals, running their winning streak to nine games.

Along the way, the Dodgers visited the White House to celebrate last year’s championship, and Trevor Bauer was placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball after a temporary restraining order against him was filed in a Los Angeles court.

Also, three Dodgers made the National League All-Star team.

Batter of the week

Max Muncy homered in both games against the Giants, giving him seven homers in nine games against the Dodgers archrival this season. Then he hit a grand slam to win Thursday’s game in Washington D.C., and doubled twice to plate three runs on Sunday. Muncy had a 1.233 OPS with an eye-popping 11 RBI in six games during the week.

He made his second All-Star team, and will likely start at designated hitter on July 13 in Denver.

On the flip side, Cody Bellinger was 1-for-22 (.045) with 10 strikeouts, and is hitting .189/.310/.316. “He didn’t have anything to show for it, but I will say that in the last couple days he took some really good swings,” said the ever-optimistic Dave Roberts. “He kept his legs under him. It’s going to turn, and when it does, it’s going to be fun. What he does for us in the lineup, and defensively, is spectacular anyway. It’s huge. But the offensive part of it, the production, that will come.”

Pitcher of the week

Walker Buehler had the longest start of the season, pitching into the seventh on Tuesday against San Francisco while allowing only one unearned run. He struck out seven and lowered his ERA to 2.35.

The Dodgers bullpen was especially stingy, allowing only two earned runs in 24⅓ innings, with 26 strikeouts. That includes just one run in 14 innings after Saturday’s rain delay.

Week 14 results

6-0 record
32 runs scored (5.33 per game)
14 runs allowed (2.33 per game)
.819 pythagorean win percentage

Year to date

53-31 record
428 runs scored (5.10 per game)
307 runs allowed (3.65 per game)
.647 pythagorean win percentage (54-30)

Miscellany

Just enough to win: Max Muncy’s grand slam on Thursday in Washington D.C. gave the Dodgers the lead in the fifth inning, then shortly after, the rains came. That was enough to call the official game, the five-inning win the shortest Dodgers game since May 8, 2015 in Colorado.

Split personality: The Dodgers on Friday scored nine times in the seventh, their most prolific inning of the season. Both AJ Pollock and Albert Pujols pinch hit in the inning, then batted again later in the frame. Pollock homered in his second time to the plate, which doesn’t technically count as a pinch-hit home run since in that plate appearance he wasn’t hitting for anyone. Since 1901, only three Dodgers have homered in the vaunted “other” split: Wayne Bleardi in 1953 for Brooklyn, Von Joshua in 1970 for Los Angeles, and Pollock.

Getting his Phil at the plate: Getting drafted in the first round twice — 10th overall by Toronto in 2013, and 18th by the Giants in 2015 — puts pitcher Phil Bickford in an exclusive club. But it’s not as rare as him holding a bat. Bickford never batted at Cal State Fullerton, and never batted at the College of Southern Nevada. In his first 104 professional games in the minors and majors, Bickford never batted. But in a bullpen game on Sunday, Bickford pitched the second inning, then started the third. In between, the pitcher’s spot came up. Bickford took a strike, then fouled off the second pitch from Joe Ross, before taking a called strike three.

Transactions

Wednesday: The Dodgers claimed pitcher Bobby Wahl off waivers from the Brewers, and optioned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City. To make 40-man roster room, Corey Seager was transferred to the 60-day injured list, ensuring he wouldn’t return until after the All-Star break.

Friday: Trevor Bauer was placed on administrative leave while MLB investigates his alleged assault. Pitcher Brusdar Graterol was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Sunday: Edwin Uceta was recalled from Triple-A for a fresh arm heading into a bullpen game, and Graterol was optioned to Oklahoma City.

Game results

• Monday: Dodgers 3, Giants 2
• Tuesday: Dodgers 3, Giants 1
• Thursday: Dodgers 6, Nationals 2 (5 innings)
• Friday: Dodgers 10, Nationals 5
• Saturday: Dodgers 5, Nationals 3
• Sunday: Dodgers 5, Nationals 1

Previous reviews: Apr. 1-4 | Apr. 5-11 | Apr. 12-18 | Apr. 19-25 | Apr. 26-May 2 | May 3-9 | May 10-16 | May 17-23 | May 24-30 | May 31-June 6 | June 7-13 | June 14-20 | June 21-27

Up next

The Dodgers run the Devon White gauntlet against a pair of last-place teams, heading to Miami for four games against the Marlins, then finishing up at home against the Diamondbacks as a palate cleanser before the All-Star break. The D-backs rotation is just a guess.