Dodgers Week 6: Different ways to win

Narratives can turn on a dime at any moment, but it’s hard not to be impressed by the Dodgers winning five of six games last week against last year’s NLCS combatants.

They won games in many ways, including bludgeoning the Phillies pitching staff for three games, and beating the Padres despite only scoring twice. The Dodgers won a game they once trailed 5-0, and stole another game Sunday night in San Diego.

This week was nearly a tale of two series, with the Dodgers scoring 36 runs against Philadelphia then tallying only five against San Diego until two outs in the ninth inning of the series finale at Petco Park. That’s when Mookie Betts homered off Padres closer Josh Hader, then in the 10th inning rookies Michael Busch and James Outman drove in all three runs to secure the series win.

Now, the Dodgers going 19-for-41 (.463) with runners in scoring position against the Phillies and then 3-for-24 (.125) against the Padres is an afterthought. And even if RISP was a main thought, the Dodgers hitting .137 with nobody in scoring position against San Diego, down from .342 against Philadelphia did more of the heavy lifting in tilting those series.

But since we are free of such things, we can instead notice that the Dodgers bullpen has suddenly turned into more of a strength, with a 1.64 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 22 innings last week. They held the opponents at bay in both comeback wins, as well as holding the line when the offense only managed two runs on Saturday.

That’s the recipe for five wins in six games.

Batter of the week

The ninth-inning heroics on Sunday gave the extra push Mookie Betts needed to get him over the top. He homered twice, doubled, and drove in eight in the week. Eight Dodgers had an .891 OPS or higher.

Honorable mention to Chris Taylor, whose two-run home run provided all the offense in Saturday’s win. Taylor led the team with a 1.257 OPS, but had two-thirds of the plate appearances of Betts.

Pitcher of the week

Julio Urías wins this, mostly due to him making two starts to everyone else’s one. But his Tuesday start against the Phillies — seven innings, one run, 10 strikeouts — was at least on par with Dustin May’s six scoreless frames and six strikeouts on Friday in San Diego. Urías allowed two runs on Sunday against the Padres and fell one out shy of six innings, in a start with execrable defense behind him.

Honorable mention goes to Victor González, who struck out five in four scoreless innings in relief, looking a lot like the pitcher he was in 2020.

Week 6 results

5-1 record
45 runs scored (7.50 per game)
19 runs allowed (3.17 per game)
.829 pythagorean win percentage

Year to date

21-14 record
191 runs scored (5.46 per game)
148 runs allowed (4.23 per game)
.615 pythagorean win percentage (22-13)

Miscellany

You forgot, you’re not ready, your head could get ruptured: In a game they once trailed 5-0 on Wednesday, the Dodgers loaded the bases against old erratic friend Craig Kimbrel in a tie game in the ninth inning. Up came MLB home run leader Max Muncy to set up the perhaps the most inevitable result of the season.

Muncy hit the 13th walk-off grand slam in Dodgers history, and the first since Andre Ethier on May 6, 2010 against the Brewers. The Dodgers’ last eleven walk-off slams have come with a tie score, dating back to Jackie Robinson beating the Pirates on June 24, 1948. The last Dodgers walk-off grand slam that was hit when the team was trailing was by first baseman Dolph Camilli, in the 10th inning on August 23, 1942 to beat the Giants for Brooklyn.

Double digits gets the best of me: The Dodgers swept the Phillies with a pair of 13-run outbursts, setting season highs for hits on both Monday and Tuesday, then finished things off with 10 runs on Wednesday. It’s the 26th time in franchise history they’ve scored at least 10 runs in three consecutive games, though the first 15 such streaks came from 1884-1900. It was just the sixth such streak of double-digit runs by a Los Angeles Dodgers team. The longest streak in club history came in 1894, a five-game streak. The longest streak in the modern era was four games, with Brooklyn scoring 52 total runs from May 20-23, 1951.

Welcome aboard: Gavin Stone made his major league debut on Wednesday, allowing five runs (four earned) in four innings in a no-decision against the Phillies, a four-run third inning costing him. “I didn’t have my best stuff, but going forward, it was a very positive outing for me,” he said after the game, per SportsNet LA. Stone is the second Dodger to make his major league debut this season, joining infielder Michael Busch, who started at designated hitter in his debut on April 25.

Transactions

Monday: Miguel Rojas was activated off the injured list after missing 11 games with a strained left hamstring. Catcher Austin Wynns was designated for assignment.

Wednesday: Gavin Stone was called up to make his major league debut, and Alex Vesia was optioned to Triple-A

Thursday: Wynns was claimed off waivers by the Rockies, his third National League West team of the season.

Friday: Wander Suero was called up from Triple-A to join the bullpen, and Stone was optioned to OKC.

Game results

• Monday: Dodgers 13, Phillies 4
• Tuesday: Dodgers 13, Phillies 1
• Wednesday: Dodgers 10, Phillies 6
• Friday: Padres 5, Dodgers 2
• Saturday: Dodgers 2, Padres 1
• Sunday: Dodgers 5, Padres 2 (10 innings)

Previous reviews: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5

The week ahead

The Dodgers run the Jimmy Osting gauntlet, heading to Milwaukee to face the Brewers (be careful, David Vassegh!) before returning back to Los Angeles for a second straight weekend series against the Padres.