Dodgers Week 15: It takes a (pitching) village

LOS ANGELES — This was a terrible week for Dodgers pitching news. Clayton Kershaw, the team’s best pitcher and steadying force in the rotation, succumbed to shoulder soreness, an injured-list stint in part necessitated by the inability to fill his shoes for just one start on a depleted staff without a roster move.

Worse news came later in the week. Any embers of hope that Dustin May would return in 2023 were doused by the announcement of his flexor tendon repair surgery that is expected to sideline the right-hander until the middle of next season, only 15 starts after returning from Tommy John surgery.

Daniel Hudson completed a long recovery of his own after missing a year following left knee surgery. He pitched in three games for the Dodgers, and recorded his first save in 13 months, but in doing so sprained the MCL in his right knee, which will knock him out for a “significant” amount of time.

That’s a lot of gut punches to absorb in such a short amount of time.

“On the mound,” manager Dave Roberts said, “it’s been sort of piecing things together.”

Gavin Stone was called back up but to pitch in long relief, trying to get through the week. His fellow Triple-A starter teammate Landon Knack almost did the same, spending time in Los Angeles on the taxi squad in case the Dodgers needed another arm. Brusdar Graterol almost landed on the injured list with shoulder soreness, but after two days of rest the discomfort went away and he pitched scoreless innings on consecutive nights instead.

Nick Robertson was thrown back into the fire in his first game back, and struck out three in his scoreless frame in a high-leverage spot. Alex Vesia shook off a tough season to fully capitalize on his Thursday call-up, pitching the final three games of the week, earning a save Thursday, striking out Shohei Ohtani in a key spot Friday, and fanning two in a scoreless inning as Saturday’s opener.

In all, the Dodgers used 16 different pitchers during the week. Five different pitchers earned a win, and three different pitchers recorded a save.

Vesia was one of three Dodgers to pitch in three consecutive days during the week, along with Evan Phillips and Caleb Ferguson. Phillips allowing three runs in the ninth on Tuesday was the Dodgers’ only loss of the week.

The offense gave the pitching staff plenty of margin for error, and the starters stabilized by the end of the week, with Julio Urías, Tony Gonsolin, and Michael Grove pitching at least six innings from Thursday to Saturday.

The result was a 5-1 week, and ending the week on a high note with four straight wins.

“Considering all that we’ve gone through, no one’s wavered, which is great,” Roberts said. “And we’re right in the thick of things.”

Batter of the week

Mookie Betts is in his first Home Run Derby, though he’s not exactly bullish on his own chances. “You guys watch my BP. I don’t hit many home runs in BP,” he said.

Instead, Betts has saved those for the games. He hit four home runs this week, including three in two games against the Angels. Betts has 26 home runs on the season, second-most in the National League. It’s also only nine shy of his career high, set last season.

The Dodgers have 73 games remaining on the schedule.

Pitcher of the week

After a rough first game back off the injured list, Julio Urías on Thursday looked more like the one who earned the opening day start this season. He struck out eight in six innings, which might have been scoreless if not for a misplayed ball in left field that led to two runs.

“Julio, every five days you very confident you’re going to have a chance to win that game, and he looked like Julio tonight,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “It’s good to have him back.”

Week 15 results

5-1 record
44 runs scored (7.33 per game)
26 runs allowed (4.33 per game)
.724 pythagorean win percentage

Year to date

51-38 record
494 runs scored (5.55 per game)
418 runs allowed (4.70 per game)
.576 pythagorean win percentage (51-38)

Transactions

Monday: Clayton Kershaw was placed on the injured list and Victor González was optioned. Michael Grove and Gavin Stone were recalled.

Wednesday: Bryan Hudson was recalled from Oklahoma City, and Stone was optioned.

Wednesday: Ricky Vanasco, who was designated for assignment on June 30, cleared waivers and was sent outright to Double-A Tulsa.

Thursday: Daniel Hudson landed on the IL and is expected to miss significant time with a sprained MCL. Yency Almonte went on the paternity list. Nick Robertson and Alex Vesia were recalled.

Game results

• Monday: Dodgers 5, Pirates 2
• Tuesday: Pirates 9, Dodgers 7
• Wednesday: Dodgers 6, Pirates 4
• Thursday: Dodgers 5, Pirates 2
• Friday: Dodgers 11, Angels 4
• Saturday: Dodgers 10, Angels 5

Previous reviews: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14

The week ahead

The All-Star break is upon is, with the bulk of Dodgers getting the first four days of the week off while five players are in Seattle for two days for the midsummer classic. The Dodgers run the John Olerud gauntlet, with a weekend series against the Mets at Citi Field in New York, starting a nine-game road trip. Julio Urías starts on Friday, with the pitching for the rest of the weekend TBD.

By the time the Dodgers play their next home game on July 24, they will have gone 15 days in between games at Dodger Stadium.