Dodgers Week 22: Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman & doubling your pleasure

The Dodgers continued their romp through August with two more series wins, winning two games each on the road in Cleveland and Boston.

Batter of the week

An any normal week, Freddie Freeman hitting .500 while also setting the Los Angeles franchise record for doubles in a season would be a shoo-in for this honor. But this particular week, Mookie Betts went supernova. He made 10 outs in six games, and in all hit .615 with a five-hit game in Cleveland then two three-hit games in his first series back at Fenway Park since getting traded. He’s on one of the best hot streaks in Dodgers history.

Pitcher of the week

The offense saved a lot of bacon this week, but even with a few less-than-stellar starts the Dodgers starter (or bulk pitcher) lasted at least six innings four times in the five games that weren’t suspended. But we’ll go with the relatively short outing by Ryan Pepiot, who continued to impress since returning. He struck out six and walked none in four innings on Thursday, allowing only a run to the Guardians.

Week 22 results

4-2 record
37 runs scored (6.17 per game)
28 runs allowed (4.67 per game)
.625 pythagorean win percentage

Year to date

80-49 record
724 runs scored (5.61 per game)
572 runs allowed (4.43 per game)
.606 pythagorean win percentage (78-51)

Miscellany

Never forget your first: Michael Busch, up for a third major league stint this season, homered in the fourth inning off Gavin Williams on Thursday in Cleveland to give the Dodgers the lead. It was the first major league home run for Busch, who ranked fourth in the Pacific Coast League with 24 home runs in Triple-A while leading the league in slugging percentage (.615) and OPS (1.047).

Busch is the second Dodger this season to hit his first major league home run, along with outfielder Jonny DeLuca, whose first came on July 4 at home against the Pirates.

Even more firsts: Gus Varland was the first Dodgers reliever used on Thursday in Cleveland, when Wednesday’s suspended game was finished. Varland pitched a scoreless third inning and got the first out of the fourth, and struck out three, earning his first major league win. On Sunday in Boston, Gavin Stone was called up to pitch bulk innings, and he did that and more. Stone didn’t allow a run until his fifth inning of work, and it came on a fly-ball home run. He even came out for the eighth inning, his seventh inning of work, but allowed two solo home runs to end his day. Still, the six-plus innings was exactly the salve the Dodgers pitching staff needed, and Stone got his first major league win out of it.

Four Dodgers pitchers have earned their first major league win in 2023, with Varland and Stone joining Bobby Miller (May 23) and Emmet Sheehan (June 23).

Birthday boys: Kiké Hernández turned 32 on Thursday, and he tied a career high with three extra-base hits, with a home run and two doubles in Cleveland. One day later, Max Muncy on his 33rd birthday drove in three runs, including a two-run double in a two-hit game at Fenway Park. Four Dodgers hitters this year have batted on their birthdays (also James Outman and Jason Heyward), with the quartet combining for seven hits in 17 at-bats. The next birthday on the schedule is Tuesday, when Chris Taylor turns 33.

Sadly, the Dodgers did not let pitchers Ryan Brasier nor Brusdar Graterol bat on Saturday, on their 36th and 25th birthdays, respectively.

Five-timers club: It took two days to complete, but Mookie Betts had five hits in the middle game against the Guardians, the first two before the rain on Wednesday and the last three on Thursday. Betts tied his career high with those five hits, also done in 2016 with Boston. It was the first five-hit game by a Dodger since Will Smith in Game 3 of the 2020 NLDS (first in the regular season since Justin Turner in May 2019), and the 28th five-hit game in the majors this season. The latter group, I assume, meets regularly to wear special jackets and drink out of brandy snifters.

Transactions

Tuesday: After a month of stops and starts, J.D. Martinez was placed on the injured list with left groin tightness and is expected to miss at least two to three weeks. Michael Busch was recalled from Triple-A.

Thursday: Because Wednesday’s game was suspended and had to be completed before the regularly scheduled game Thursday, the Dodgers were allowed to add a 27th player for the second game of the pseudo-doubleheader. That was Ryan Pepiot, who has been the 27th player (or 29th player, in September) four times in his 11 major league appearances, including both this season.

Friday: Pepiot was returned to OKC.

Sunday: Gavin Stone was recalled to pitch bulk innings in the series finale in Boston, and Bryan Hudson was optioned.

Sunday: Old friend Tyson Miller, who pitched for the Dodgers once in July, was claimed off waivers from the Mets. Tony Gonsolin was moved to the 60-day IL, officially ending his season.

Game results

• Tuesday: Guardians 8, Dodgers 3
• Wednesday-Thursday: Dodgers 6, Guardians 1
• Thursday: Dodgers 9, Guardians 3
• Friday: Dodgers 7, Red Sox 4
• Saturday: Red Sox 8, Dodgers 5
• Sunday: Dodgers 7, Red Sox 4

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 | Week 21

The week ahead

The Dodgers are back home to run the Randall Delgado gauntlet, hosting the D-backs for three and the Braves for four games, the latter a potential NLCS matchup for the third time in four years.

Atlanta’s weekend rotation is a guess. They list Wednesday in Colorado as TBA, which would be Spencer Strider on four days rest.