Dodgers Week 22: From the penthouse to the outhouse

It was a tale of two series last week for the Dodgers, who swept away a lifeless team in San Diego, trying to push the Padres even further out of contention. But then they returned home and laid an egg against the also-ran Rockies.

The constant was excellent pitching, allowing 16 total runs in six games, in nearly seven games’ worth of innings. But the offense didn’t hit a lick, just .178/.253/.313 on the week.

Part of the lack of offense was self-inflicted, with the Dodgers opting to use the Rockies series to give almost literally everyone extra rest. The used two rookie pitchers for spot starts to put the top of the rotation on five days rest for this week, and gave eight of the nine regulars at least part of an off day against Colorado, with only Trea Turner starting all three games.

This was a heat check from a Dodgers team that was 18-4 in August entering Friday, playing a Rockies team with a putrid 15-47 (.242) road record, including winning only one of 20 series away from home. That same exact strategy worked last week in a sweep of the lowly Pirates.

It did not fly against the mediocre Rockies, who now own two road series wins. Colorado took two out of three at Dodger Stadium, holding the Dodgers to just six runs scored in the series.

It was a squandered opportunity for the Dodgers to gain ground on the Giants, who lost two of three in Atlanta over the weekend. Los Angeles and San Francisco had the same results again, leaving the Dodgers the same 2½ games back in the division, just like they started the week.

This coming week the Dodgers get their last chance to make up ground the old fashioned way, by beating the team in front of them. One thing’s for sure, LA will be well-rested by then.

Batter of the week

Not only did Will Smith homer in three straight games for the second time in August, and provided the winning scores with a two-run single on Saturday, but he also caught all 16 innings on Wednesday’s marathon win in San Diego. Smith also reached base 11 times in 18 trips to the plate, and on the season his 21 home runs lead all National League catchers.

Pitcher of the week

Max Scherzer was back at the team hotel sleeping as Wednesday night’s 16-inning game ended, but woke up to a clear purpose: to give the Dodgers a lot of innings. He delivered in spades, throwing 7⅔ scoreless frames, striking out 10 to finish off a sweep of the Padres.

“He’s been better than advertised,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I knew there was a work ethic, a fire. But I didn’t realize the preparation. He knows exactly what he wants to do when he takes that mound.”

Week 22 results

4-2 record
21 runs scored (3.50 per game)
16 runs allowed (2.67 per game)
.622 pythagorean win percentage

Year to date

82-49 record
668 runs scored (5.1 per game)
459 runs allowed (3.50 per game)
.667 pythagorean win percentage (87-44)

Miscellany

Backstop twenty: Will Smith on Friday night hit his 21st home run of the season, part of a surge that has him hitting 11 home runs with a .654 slugging percentage in 32 games after the All-Star break. Friday’s home run in particular was his 20th home run as a catcher, the seventh in Dodgers history to hit 20 home runs as a catcher in a season.

The Dodgers have 20 such individual seasons of a catcher hitting 20 home runs, led by seven years from Roy Campanella. Those 20 seasons are second-most in MLB history, behind only the 29 by the Yankees.

It’s 1 a.m., I must be lonely: Since the runner-on-second rule began in 2020, no extra-inning game lasted longer than 13 innings. Until Wednesday night, and early Thursday morning that is, when the Dodgers and Padres needed 16 innings to decide things in the middle game in San Diego. The game was at time thrilling, often inexplicable, but certainly memorable. Forty-seven players appeared in the game, including 19 pitchers, and Dodgers pitching held the Padres to an 0-for-30 stretch at one point during the game. A few minutes after the five-hour, 49-minute game ended at 12:59 a.m., Roberts said, “I don’t know how many innings we played tonight.”

Long day: The Dodgers on Sunday used their 38th different pitcher of the year, extending the franchise record, and it was someone they’ve had all season. Third baseman Justin Turner pitched a scoreless ninth inning to finish off Sunday’s loss to Colorado in his first career pitching appearance. Turner entered the game only trailing 5-0, but the Dodgers, who were carrying 10 relief pitchers all weekend, ran out of available pitchers at the end of a series that saw their bulk pitchers combine to pitch just 11⅔ innings in three games, in a week they used nine relievers in a 16-inning game.

“When you’re going short and you only get three innings [from Mitch White], it’s kind of a compilation,” Roberts said. “It’s a fallout from that 16-inning game.”

Turner is the fourth Dodger to play third base and pitch in the same game, joining Jeff Hamilton (1989, famously, to end a 22-inning game against the Astros), Robin Ventura (2004), and Russell Martin (2019).

Transactions

Monday: Pitcher Conner Greene, who was designated for assignment on August 20, was claimed off waivers by the Orioles.

Tuesday: Julio Urías was activated after missing just one start on the injured list with a left calf contusion, and Neftalí Féliz was designated for assignment.

Wednesday: Joe Kelly was activated off the injured list, and left-hander Victor González was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Thursday: Mookie Betts was activated after missing 16 games with a hip injury, and Darien Núñez was recalled to add a fresh arm to the bullpen. Matt Beaty and Gavin Lux were optioned to Triple-A, with playing time in decline in the majors.

Friday: Andre Jackson was called up for his second major league game, and Núñez was optioned back to Oklahoma City.

Saturday: Just like in his debut, Jackson was optioned to Triple-A the next day after his appearance, this time to add Edwin Uceta as a fresh arm in the bullpen.

Sunday: Uceta joined the one-day-up club along with Núñez and Jackson this week, getting optioned to Triple-A to make room for Mitch White getting recalled.

Game results

• Tuesday: Dodgers 5, Padres 2
• Wednesday: Dodgers 5, Padres 3 (16 innings)
• Thursday: Dodgers 4, Padres 0
• Friday: Rockies 4, Dodgers 2
• Saturday: Dodgers 5, Rockies 2
• Sunday: Rockies 5, Dodgers 0

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 | June 28-July 4 | July 5-11 | July 12-18 | July 19-25 | July 26-Aug. 1 | Aug. 2-8 | Aug. 9-15 | Aug. 16-22

Up next

The Dodgers run the Felipe Alou gauntlet, playing the Braves for three games at home before heading to San Francisco for the final three regular season games against the Giants this year.