Dodgers Week 21: Mookie Betts, Austin Barnes, a California hurricane

LOS ANGELES — The streak of no rainouts at Dodger Stadium is over, sort of, with California’s first tropical storm in 84 years requiring some schedule maneuvering a few days ahead of time. But that was one of the few hiccups for a Dodgers team that continues to roll.

The Dodgers won five of six games against the Brewers and Marlins, expanding their lead in the National League West to 12 games.

The only race remaining in the regular season for the Dodgers is whether they’ll get the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the National League.

Batter of the week

Mookie Betts hit .500 during the week, highlighted by a Saturday doubleheader that saw him hit the game-winning two-run single in the opener, then hit two home runs in the nightcap in front of his friend LeBron James.

What did Betts do in the three-plus hours in between games of the doubleheader?

“I took me a nap. It was nice little nap,” he said. “And it worked for me.”

Pitcher of the week

It took four tries, but Lance Lynn finally did not get a win in a start for the Dodgers. All he did was throw seven scoreless innings on Thursday night, matching former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes zero for zero. Lynn kept the game tied, clearing the way for Austin Barnes’ heroics in the eighth inning.

Week 21 results

5-1 record
23 runs scored (3.83 per game)
16 runs allowed (2.67 per game)
.660 pythagorean win percentage

Year to date

76-47 record
687 runs scored (5.59 per game)
544 runs allowed (4.42 per game)
.605 pythagorean win percentage (74-49)

Miscellany

Interference: J.D. Martinez reached base on catcher’s interference in both the first and second innings on Wednesday. Brewers catcher William Contreras came really close to a third interference call later in another Martinez at-bat, too. Martinez is just the second Dodger to reach base twice on catcher’s interference in the same game, the last since Brooklyn shortstop Ben Geraghty on April 25, 1936 in Philadelphia. Besides Martinez and Geraghty (three times in 1936), only four other Dodgers have reached on multiple catchers interference calls in one season — Andre Ethier (2007), Carl Crawford (2015), Trea Turner (2022), and Jason Heyward (three times, 2023).

Barnes storming: Austin Barnes’ first home run of the season came at an opportune time, providing the game’s only run in Thursday’s win over the Brewers. It was the first Dodgers 1-0 win with a solo home run since July 24, 2021, which was also hit by Barnes.

It’s been a brutal year at the plate for Barnes, hitting just .147/.224/.186 on the season. But this week he had four hits in seven at-bats, including that game-winning home run Thursday and a bunt single to tie Saturday’s comeback win. “You’ve just got to keep going,” Barnes said Saturday. “There’s still season left.”

Including Barnes’ first two-hit game of the year Thursday, Barnes has eight hits in 23 at-bats (.348/.400/.478) over his last nine games, dating back to July 26.

“He had a forgettable first two-thirds of the season,” manager Dave Roberts said, “But if he can finish off the right way and help us win baseball games, I hope he feels that he’s carrying his weight, which he is now.”

Transactions

Tuesday: Gus Varland got the call-up from Oklahoma City, and on Wednesday was the 37th Dodger to pitch this season. Jake Marisnick, sidelined by a hamstring strain, was moved to the 60-day injured list.

Saturday: Tony Gonsolin landed on the IL with elbow/forearm inflammation, and might not pitch again this season, the end of a stretch of two-plus months when Gonsolin pitched in a diminished capacity because, at the time, the Dodgers ran out of arms.

“I commend him wholeheartedly. I think he’s continued to gain respect of guys in the clubhouse, and never made an excuse,” Roberts said. “Was he pain free? Probably not. But I know as an organization in saying and knowing that you’re not going to hurt yourself worse. We’re not going to do that to a player.”

Saturday: Bryan Hudson was recalled from Triple-A for an extra bullpen arm.

Saturday: Ryan Pepiot was called up as the 27th man for Saturday’s doubleheader and pitched five strong innings in the afternoon opener. Pepiot, the 38th Dodgers pitcher of 2023, could end up remaining joining the rotation, beginning next weekend.

Sunday: Pepiot was returned to Oklahoma City, which doesn’t impede him from returning to start for the Dodgers next weekend if they so choose.

Game results

• Tuesday: Dodgers 6, Brewers 2
• Wednesday: Dodgers 7, Brewers 1
• Thursday: Dodgers 1, Brewers 0
• Friday: Marlins 11, Dodgers 3
• Saturday: Dodgers 3, Marlins 1 (Game 1)
• Saturday: Dodgers 3, Marlins 1 (Game 2)

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 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Week 19 | Week 20

The week ahead

The Dodgers run the Ken Keltner gauntlet with a road trip through Cleveland and Boston. The series opener against the Red Sox, Mookie Betts’ (plus J.D. Martinez, Kiké Hernández, and Ryan Brasier’s) return to Fenway Park is exclusively on Apple TV+.

The weekend pitching matchups are an educated guess.