Dodgers wearing out their rally caps

The Dodgers are developing an annoying habit.

They put together a seven-game winning streak, won six games in a row last week, swept the Arizona Diamondbacks in four of those games, but the Dodgers trailed in five of their last seven games.

In a rare pair of back-to-back doubleheaders, the Dodgers won four games in a row against the Diamondbacks. In all of those games, the Dodgers trailed at one point or another.

In the first game, the Dodgers won 7-6 on Tuesday. They trailed 3-0 before rallying in the sixth inning. The Dodgers scored five runs in the sixth inning to take a 6-3 lead. Mookie Betts hit a two-run home run, Justin Turner hit a two-run home run and Trea Turner added a solo homer to put the Dodgers out front in Game 1 of the series and the first game of the doubleheader.

The Dodgers trailed 2-0 in the second game before Chris Taylor hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning. It gave the Dodgers a 5-2 lead en route to a 5-4 win.

The Dodgers won the third game of the series 12-3, but trailed 2-0 in the first inning of that one. The Dodger scored six runs in the second inning, capped by a three-run home run by Edwin Rios, and took an 8-2 lead.  

In the final game of the series against the Diamondbacks, the Dodgers won, 5-3, but had to rally from a 2-1 deficit. They scored four runs in the fourth inning to take a 5-2 lead.

Betts, Taylor, Rios and the Turner boys have been digging the Dodgers out of holes lately. It’s not the best way to win baseball games, but it’s been working for the Dodgers so far.

The Dodgers took their rallying ways to Philadelphia for a weekend series against the Phillies.

And while they won comfortably on Friday night, never trailing in a 4-1 win over the Phillies, and making the most out of a three-run home run by Justin Turner, they were back to their come-from-behind ways on Saturday.

The Dodgers won the game, 7-4, but not before the Phillies built a 4-1 lead and the Dodger bats woke up. Austin Barnes and Betts provided the pop. The Dodgers scored two runs in the eighth inning to break a 4-4 tie and added another run in the ninth off a solo homer from Barnes.

That was the seventh win in a row for the Dodgers who have a slight lead over those pesky San Diego Padres in the National League West standings after the first 40 games of the season.

The Padres closed to a half-game back in the standings after the Dodgers lost to the Phillies in extra innings, 4-3, on Sunday.

That was a reminder of a bad habit the Dodgers developed last season, losing extra-inning games. Hopefully losing in extra innings is a trend that won’t last too long for this year’s Dodgers.

Dodgers starter power rankings:

1. Tony Gonsolin
2. Tyler Anderson
3. Walker Buehler
4. Julio Urias
5. Ryan Pepiot

The Dodgers (27-13) travel to DC to start a three-game series against the Nationals on Monday and then head to Arizona for a four-game weekend series against the Diamondbacks.

Mookie makes up for slow start

Mookie’s fine. He’s more than fine. In Saturday’s game against the Chicago Cubs, he was the offense.

Reports of his demise were extremely exaggerated.

Mookie Betts carried the Dodgers to a 6-2 win in the nightcap of a doubleheader against the Cubs in Chicago on Saturday. He drove in five runs, hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning and extended his hit streak to eight games.

The Dodgers meanwhile, after downing the Cubs 5-1 on Sunday, ended the week with a six-game winning streak, swept the San Francisco Giants in a two-game series and the Cubs in three games, while moving into first place in the National League West standings.

The Dodgers have a game-and-a-half lead over those pesky San Diego Padres. The Giants and the surprising Colorado Rockies are tied for third place, four games behind the Dodgers.

But what might be the most impressive stat of the Dodgers after the first 26 games of the season is run differential. The Dodgers are outsourcing their opponents by 74 runs. The New York Yankees have the second best run differential in MLB at 48 runs. 

The Dodgers outscored the Giants 12-2. The Dodgers outscored the Cubs 20-3 over the weekend. In the past five games, the Dodgers have outscored their opponents, 32-5. 

But back to Betts.

He went 2-for-5 in Sunday’s game against the Cubs and extended his hitting streak to nine games. He has hit three home runs during that streak and has his batting average up to .263. 

Betts is more than alive. He is one of the hottest hitters in the league.

The Dodgers offense is humming, but the starters deserve some credit too.

Clayton Kershaw (4-0) pitched seven shutout innings in the first game of the doubleheader against the Cubs on Saturday and lowered his ERA to 1.80.

Walker Buehler improved to 4-1, pitching seven innings against the Cubs on Sunday, giving up one run on four hits, and lowering his ERA to 1.96.

Tony Gonsolin improved to 2-0, giving up one run in five innings against the Giants on Wednesday, and lowering his ERA to 1.64.

Julio Urias pitched six shutout innings in a 3-1 win over the Giants on Tuesday. He lowered his ERA to 1.88.

Four Dodger starters have ERAs under 2.00. 

Most impressive.

Dodger starter power rankings:

1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Julio Urias
3. Walker Buehler
4. Tony Gonsolin
5. Tyler Anderson

The Dodgers (19-7) head to Pittsburgh to start a three-game series against the Pirates on Monday, then return home to start a four-game weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies on  Thursday.  

Dodgers hit a rough patch early in the season

It’s been a rough week for the Dodgers.

They lost two of three games to the lowly Arizona Diamondbacks.

On a night when Clayton Kershaw passed Don Sutton to become the franchise leader in strikeouts, the Dodgers lost to the Detroit Tigers.

Despite going 13-7 in the first month of the season, the Dodgers are in a virtual three-way tie for first place in the National League West standings with the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.

But the biggest hit of the week was learning beleaguered starter Trevor Bauer was suspended for two years by Major League Baseball, essentially wiping out his contract with the Dodgers.

Let’s start with the series against the Diamondbacks.

It’s bad enough to lose a series against the last-place team in the National League West. It made it worse the way the Dodgers lost two of those games. The Dodgers are supposed to have the best offense in baseball, one of the best offenses ever assembled in baseball history. Yet they managed to score only four runs in the final two games of the series against the Diamondbacks.

Sad.

In the second game of the series, on Tuesday, the Dodgers took a 3-0 lead in the first inning, only to let it slip away in the third inning. Starter Tony Gonsolin hit the wall in the fourth inning, an annoying habit that he has yet to overcome, and the Diamondbacks scored two runs in the eighth inning to win the game.

To make it worse, the Dodgers hit into five double plays in the loss to the Diamondbacks.

Brutal.

They lost on Wednesday, 3-1, didn’t score their only run until the eighth inning, and gave up two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to lose the game.

The Dodgers had problems scoring runs against the Diamondbacks, and those losses could come back to haunt them later in the season.

Kershaw started against the Tigers on Saturday night needing four strikeouts to pass Sutton and become the franchise leader in strikeouts. He struck out Spencer Torkelson in the fourth inning to break the Dodgers strikeout record, 2,697, and the crowd at Dodger Stadium gave him a standing ovation. Kershaw struck out seven batters in six innings and left the game with the score tied, 1-1. 

The Tigers scored three runs in the seventh inning to take a 4-1 lead and ended up spoiling Kershaw’s record-breaking night.

It was another game the Dodgers should have won, against a team that was 7-13, but the Dodger bats remained silent again.

On a week when the Dodgers lost three games they probably should have won, the Giants and Padres kept pace and moved atop the NL West Division standings.

The Padres have a history of fading as the season wears on. They did it last year. They do it almost every time they think they have a team that can contend. Those pesky Padres will probably fade again. 

But the Giants. That’s a different story.

The Giants have a way of hanging around. They have a way of spoiling successful seasons for the Dodgers. They did it last year. And it looks like they are digging in for another surprising season.

But the baddest of the bad news came with the Bauer suspension. Major League Baseball suspended Bauer for 324 games, two years, and it won’t end until his contract with the Dodgers expires.

He was suspended for violating the league’s sexual assault and domestic abuse policies. He has said he will appeal the suspension, but it doesn’t look like much will change MLB’s decision.

Bauer can appeal all he wants. But this much is clear:

He does not have the support of the Dodgers.

He does not have the support of the union.

MLB does not want him representing the sport or the league.

It’s evident how divisive Bauer is for fans on social media sites. People aggressively defend him and attack those who do not support him.

Imagine how divisive his presence would be in the real clubhouse, where none of his teammates have come out to defend him.

Talk about a disruption.

The Dodgers have enough problems trying to figure out their hitting woes than to worry about how Bauer’s presence will affect the clubhouse.

Dodgers starting pitching power rankings:

1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Walker Buehler
3. Tyler Anderson
4. Juilo Urias
5. Tony Gonsolin

The Dodgers (14-7) have a short week, with the Giants coming to Chavez Ravine for two games starting on Tuesday and heading out to Chicago for a weekend series against the Cubs starting on Friday.

Pitchers break, even Dodger pitchers

Andrew Heaney, David Price and Blake Treinen went on the injured list last week for the Dodgers and it exposed the biggest weakness on this team.

It has little pitching depth.

It has more than most teams. When Clayton Kershaw is the No. 3 starter, the pitching staff is in good condition.

But losing Heaney moved Tyler Anderson into an emergency start, his first of the season, and it didn’t go as well as it could have.

Anderson started the game Saturday night against those pesky San Diego Padres, and while he didn’t pitch poorly, he left the game in the fifth inning with the Dodgers trailing 2-0.

That had more to do with Padres starter Yu Darvish pitching his best game of the season than Anderson struggling against the Padres.

Still, if Heaney starts that game, what is the likelihood the Dodgers and Padres are playing a scoreless tie in the eighth inning?

It doesn’t do well to dwell on what might have been.

But it still presents a pitching problem for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are down to four quality starting pitchers: Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Tony Gonsolin and Kershaw. Even Gonsolin has proved to be good for five innings at best. 

It looks like bullpen games are in the near future again for the Dodgers, and if history is an indication, that isn’t always the best path to follow.

Despite the pitching woes, the Dodgers compiled the best record in baseball, 8-2 at one point, and won seven games in a row.

They won Friday night’s game against the Padres, 6-1, and extended their winning streak against the Padres to 10 games.

That all came to an end Saturday, when the Dodgers lost to the Padres, 3-2 in 10 innings.

It was another extra-inning loss, an annoying habit the Dodgers had a hard time shaking last season.

While the Dodgers pitchers took a beating last week, some of the struggling Dodgers hitters were showing signs of life.

Mookie Betts and Max Muncy are off to slow starts. After Sunday's game, Betts was hitting .196 with 16 strikeouts in 14 games. Muncy was hitting .140 with 13 strikeouts in 15 games. They both broke out in Friday night’s game against the Padres though. 

Betts was 2-for-3 with two home runs and scored three runs. Muncy was 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. They are not completely out of their slumps, but it looks like they are heading in the right direction.

The Dodgers ended the week with a 10-2 win over the Padres on Sunday. Kershaw improved to 3-0. Bellinger hit two home runs and drove in four runs.

For those keeping score at home, Bellinger leads the Dodgers with four home runs, is second on the team with eight RBIs and is hitting .273 after 15 games.

Dodger starters power rankings:

1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Julio Urias
3. Walker Buehler
4. Tony Gonsolin
5. Tyler Anderson

The Dodgers (11-4) are off to Arizona for a three-game series against the lowly Diamondbacks starting on Monday and then head home for a weekend series against the Detroit Tigers starting on Friday.

Dodgers are almost perfect in the second week of the season

The start of the Dodgers season has been almost perfect.

After dropping two of three games to the surprising Colorado Rockies, the Dodgers have won six games in a row and outscored their opponents, 40-9.

The Dodgers shut down the visiting Cincinnati Reds, 9-1, on Sunday and Andrew Heaney is quickly becoming a Dodger folk hero, striking out 11 batters in six innings in his second quality start of the season.

The Dodgers are coming up with clutch hits.

The Dodger starters are looking more impressive with each outing.

The Dodger relievers are shutting down opposing bats late in games.

Even Cody Beillinger looks like he is finding his pre-pandemic form.

The Dodgers are finding a rhythm early.

Clayton Kershaw came close to finding a perfect rhythm against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday.

He was perfect for seven innings against the Twins. He struck out 13 Twins batters. He was pulled and denied a chance to throw the first perfect game in the majors since 2012, the first perfect game for the Dodgers since 1965. Kershaw had a chance to make history. Instead, he won a meaningless game in April, perhaps saving himself for a deep playoff run and another World Series championship.

It’s not that Kershaw has anything more to prove. His legacy as a Dodger great and baseball legend are set. He is a three-time Cy Young Award winner, a National League MVP, and eight-time All Star and a World Series champion.

But adding a perfect game would have put him on another level.

Sandy Koufax pitched his only perfect game against the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 9, 1965. It was the fourth no-hitter of his career. It might have been the most perfect game ever played.

The Dodgers won the game, 1-0. In the fifth inning, Lou Johnson scored the only run of the game when he walked, advanced to second on a sacrifice, stole third base and scored when the throw sailed over the head of third baseman Ron Santo and into left field.

Johnson also had the only hit of the game, a bloop single in the seventh inning. 

Cubs starter Bob Hendley pitched a one-hitter and lost. Both pitchers had no-hitters in the seventh inning. 

Koufax struck out 14 – and struck out the final six Cubs batters in the game – still the most strikeouts in a perfect game, and went on to lead the Dodgers to a World Series title.

Kershaw had 13 strikeouts in his seven perfect innings. He had two more innings to add to his strikeout total. 

Who knows if Kershaw will have another chance at a perfect game. There have only been 23 in the history of Major League Baseball. It’s unlikely the opportunity will present itself again for Kershaw.

When October rolls around, Kershaw’s near-perfect outing will be a distant memory.

If the Dodgers win another World Series with a healthy Kershaw in the rotation, it will be worth it.

But if not, what a waste of an opportunity.

Next up for the Dodgers (7-2) are the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium, then the Dodgers travel to San Diego for a three-game weekend series against the Padres.