Category Archives: Monthly Recaps

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May 2018: Struggling Becomes Slight Improvement

The Dodgers got off to an absolutely horrible start this year. Because of this, just about every Dodger fan was freaking out. But now, the Dodgers seem to be doing a little better. On May 1, the Dodgers were in fourth place and they were nine games behind the Diamondbacks.

The lowest point of the month, and possibly the season, came in the middle of the month when the Dodgers were swept in by the Reds in a four-game series, followed immediately by two losses to the Marlins. During this six-game stretch, they scored only sixteen runs but they allowed thirty runs.

Fortunately, the Dodgers managed to right the ship for the final game against the Marlins. Justin Turner drove in five runs and collected five hits. Once the series was over, they traveled to Washington D.C. and swept the Nationals in three games. Since then, they have a 6-4 record.

Big Events:

  • Walker Buehler was called up to the big leagues. He pitched the first game of the series against the Padres in Mexico. Buehler threw six no-hit innings and the bullpen finished the no-hitter.
  • Clayton Kershaw was placed on the DL with left biceps tendinitis.
  • The Dodgers called up switch-pitcher Pat Venditte.
  • Justin Turner returned from the DL and made an almost immediate impact.
  • Buehler and Ross Stripling established themselves as the best pitchers on the Dodgers. They have a combined 6-2 record with a 1.94 ERA.
  • Kenley Jansen collected two saves in one day, earning the save in both games in the doubleheader against the Nationals.
  • Dodgers rally late against the Phillies to score five runs after being no-hit through five innings.
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April 2018: Another Horrible Start

The last few years, the Dodgers have made themselves famous for their terrible starts to the season. This year is no different. For the most part, the Dodgers have been dead, at the plate, on the mound, and on the field. This poor start has put the Dodgers fourth place in the NL West. If you want my opinion, it’s time to panic.

The season started off poorly when the Dodgers lost the first two games by the same score, 1-0. After that, the longest winning streak they have been able to put together is four games, three of those against the Padres. Their longest losing streak was also four games.

While the Diamondbacks have been trampling anyone and everyone in their path, the Dodgers have been struggling to look like a team who won 104 games and made it to the World Series last year. The Dodger offense is hitting .247 so far this year, with 25 home runs, and 125 runs batted in. As far as pitching goes, their collective ERA is 4.03, with a 1.28 WHIP.

Big Events:

  • Rich Hill was put on the disabled list with a broken fingernail in his throwing hand. He later developed an infection in that finger.
  • Hyun-Jin Ryu is pitching like an Ace. He’s 3-0 with a 2.22 ERA in five games. He has 34 strikeouts and nine walks over 28.1 innings.
  • Walker Buehler made his debut as a starter. He pitched five innings in a no-decision in his first start. In his second start, he allowed two runs and received the win.
  • Justin Turner took a step toward returning by beginning to hit off a tee.
  • Yasiel Puig was placed on the disabled list with a hip pointer and bruised foot.
  • Corey Seager will need Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. He will miss the rest of the year.

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Monthly Recap: April 2017

The beginning of April marks the end of Spring Training and the beginning of the regular season. The Dodgers had many highs and very many lows. In the first month of the season, the Dodgers played all the teams in the National League West, the Cubs, and the Phillies.

The season began with a four-game series against the Padres at Dodger Stadium. Clayton Kershaw made his seventh straight opening day start, taking the mound for the Dodgers at Blue Heaven on Earth. Every Dodger in the starting lineup, including Kershaw, got at least one hit during the first game of the season. Joc Pederson hit a Grand Slam in the Dodgers’ 14-3 opening day victory over the Padres. The series played out as follows:

Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4
 Padres 3 Dodgers 14 Padres 4 Dodgers 0  Padres 1 Dodgers 3  Padres 2 Dodgers 10 

After the Dodgers finished the series against the Padres, they traveled to Denver, Colorado for a three-game series against the Rockies. Kyle Freeland made his Major League debut against the Dodgers, holding them to one run over six innings. The Dodgers avoided being swept with a wild win in game three of the series.

 Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
 Dodgers 1 Rockies 2 Dodgers 2 Rockies 4 Dodgers 10 Rockies 6

When the Dodgers had finished the series against the Rockies, they traveled to Chicago for a three-game series. Game one was opening day for the Cubs and it included a banner-raising ceremony. The game was also delayed due to weather and the Cubs showed a replay of game six of the NLCS on the big screen at Wrigley Field. After a scheduled off day, the series continued with the Cubs receiving their World Series rings before the game.

 Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
 Dodgers 2 Cubs 3 Dodgers 2 Cubs 0 Dodgers 0 Cubs 4

Next, the Dodgers traveled home to face the Diamondbacks for the first time and Clayton Kershaw faced off against Zack Greinke for the first time. The Dodgers jumped on Greinke, scoring five runs over five innings and giving him the loss.

Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4 
 Diamondbacks 1 Dodgers 7 Diamondbacks 4 Dodgers 8 Diamondbacks 3 Dodgers 1  Diamondbacks 4 Dodgers 2

The Rockies then came to Dodger Stadium for a two-game series, and Kyle Freeland got his second start against the Dodgers in his third Major League start. Hyun-Jin Ryu was charged with four runs in his worst start so far this year, and the Dodgers’ late rally fell short by one run.

 Game 1 Game 2
 Rockies 4 Dodgers 3 Rockies 2 Dodgers 4

After a scheduled off day, the Dodgers traveled to Arizona to play the Diamondbacks for three games. The Dodgers pitching was unable to keep the Diamondbacks from scoring in the first two games, but Brandon McCarthy was able to keep the D-backs under control in the third game. Also during the third game, Joc Pederson was pulled out early with an injury and was sent to the 10-day DL.

 Game 1 Game 2  Game 3 
 Dodgers 5 Diamondbacks 13 Dodgers 5 Diamondbacks 11  Dodgers 6 Diamondbacks 2 

After the Dodgers ended the series against the Diamondbacks, they headed to San Francisco for a four-game series against the Giants. Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched the first game and allowed only one run, but the Dodgers were unable to score, the story for most of the series. The Dodgers’ bats finally came alive in the tenth inning of game four when Andrew Toles hit an RBI single, starting a four-run rally. Cody Bellinger made his Major League debut in game two and has not missed a game since.

 Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4
 Dodgers 1 Giants 2 Dodgers 2 Giants 1 Dodgers 3 Giants 4 Dodgers 5 Giants 1

The Dodgers returned home to play the Phillies and their bats stayed hot. In game two, they were trailing 5-2 in the ninth inning but they hit back-to-back-to-back home runs tying the game, and Adrián González hit a walk-off single taking the game by a final score of 6-5. Hyun-Jin Ryu got his first win of the year in game three, he pitched 5.1 innings of one-run ball in the win.

Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
 Phillies 3 Dodgers 5 Phillies 5 Dodgers 6 Phillies 3 Dodgers 5

The Dodgers concluded the month of April with a record of 14-12 and are currently on a 4-game winning streak. Below are the rankings for the National League West:

 W L % GB
 Colorado Rockies  16 10   .615 – 
 Arizona Diamondbacks  16 11  .593  .5 
 Los Angeles Dodgers  14 12  .538  2.0 
 San Diego Padres  11 16  .407  5.5 
 San Francisco Giants  9 17  .346  7.0 

Players Who Hit The DL:

  • Logan Forsythe – 10-day DL with a fractured right big toe. May return on May 5.
  • Franklin Gutierrez – 10-day DL with right hamstring tightness. May return on May 5.
  • Rich Hill – 10-day DL with a blister on left middle finger. May return in early May.
  • Joc Pederson – 10 day DL with a right groin strain. May return on May 5.

Other Big News:

  • Justin Turner is currently riding a 16-game hitting streak. He is hitting .404 on the year with one home run and eleven runs batted in.
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September 2016 Recap

Last month ended with the Dodgers 1.5 games ahead of the Giants. They got the first day of September off, before the Padres came to town. In game 2, Rich Hill took a no-hitter into the 6th inning before Alexei Ramirez broke it up with a single. The Dodgers took the game by a score of 5-1. The Dodgers also took the third game 4-7 with Jose De Leon making a terrific first impression. The youngster pitched 6 innings allowing 4 runs (3 earned), on 5 hits.

The Padres left town and it was time for the Diamondbacks to enter. They sent out former Dodger, Zack Greinke, who was making his return to Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers hit 5 home runs off of him handing him the loss by a final score of 10-2. Ross Stripling shut the D-backs down in game two, and Brock Stewart kept them quiet in game 3. The Dodgers swept the Diamondbacks in 3 games.

After the sweep of the D-backs the Dodgers got a day to travel to Miami, Where Clayton Kershaw was scheduled to make his return from the DL. The Marlins scored 3 runs off of Kershaw, and Jose Fernandez held the Dodgers to 1 run in the first game. In game 2, Rich Hill pitched 7 perfect innings before Dave Roberts made the tough decision to remove him from the game. The Dodgers took it by a final score of 5-1. The Marlins also held the Dodgers scoreless in the series finale.

After losing the series to the Marlins, it was time for the Dodgers to head to New York and play the Yankees. With a large amount of Dodgers fans along the left field line, the Dodgers put up an 8-2 victory over the Yanks. Jose De Leon followed his first career start with another solid outing, Yasiel Puig and Justin Turner provided home runs to support the rookie. CC Sabathia shut the Dodgers down in game 2, but Clayton Kershaw would not allow it in the final game. Even though the game was delayed by rain, Kershaw dominated 6 innings, and late run support from Justin Turner gave the Dodgers the victory.

It was then time to travel to Arizona and play the Diamondbacks. The D-backs jumped on Rich Hill, giving him his first loss with the Dodgers. In game 2, Kenta Maeda and Zack Greinke got their rematch and both sides played good baseball. Greinke allowed 2 runs (1 earned), a Justin Turner RBI triple, as the Dodgers took the second game 2-0. The Dodgers took game 3, by a score of 6-2, with Joc Pederson hitting a 2-run home run that traveled 463 feet. The Diamondbacks took the last game by a score of 9-10 in 12 innings.

The Dodgers went home to greet the Giants for their final home stand of the regular season. Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner faced off and it looked like it would be a Giants victory. But a walk-off RBI double from Adrian Gonzalez gave the Dodgers the first game by a score of 2-1. Johnny Ceuto shut the Dodgers down in the second game, as San Francisco took it by a score of 2-0. The Dodgers scored 5 runs in the 1st inning, as they took the game by a score of 9-3.

The Giants went to San Diego and the Rockies came to Los Angeles, for the final series at Dodger Stadium. The weekend had many festivities honoring Vin Scully, the Dodgers legendary broadcaster.

The Dodgers took the first game by a score of 4-7, due to a Yasmani Grandal Grand Slam. In game 2, Joc Pederson and Andre Ethier hit back-to-back home runs, lifting the Dodgers to a 5-2 victory. With the magic number at 2, the Dodgers did everything in their power to clinch the division behind Clayton Kershaw. They beat the Rockies 14-1, but the Giants beat the Padres delaying the celebration by a day.

On September 25, 2016, the day all Dodgers fans had been waiting for arrived. After Corey Seager tied up the game, twice, Charlie Culberson hit a walk-off home run in the 10th inning, propelling the Dodgers to their 4th straight division championship.

After getting the day of on Monday, the Dodgers went to San Diego where they lost the first game to the Padres, by a score of 7-1. The Padres also won the second game 5-6, but the Dodgers wouldn’t be swept. They took the series finale by a score of 9-4.

They next traveled to San Francisco for the final 3 games of the season. After what looked early like it would be an easy Dodgers victory, Brandon McCarthy allowed 6 runs without recording an out in the 6th inning. The Giants took the game 9-3.

  • More important occurrences:
  • Clayton Kershaw made his first rehab start
  • Rich Hill made his Dodgers debut
  • Jose De Leon made his Major League debut
  • Dodgers pound Greinke in return to Dodger Stadium
  • Clayton Kershaw makes his return from the DL
  • Fight between Yasiel Puig and Madison Bumgarner empties benches
  • Chase Utley win Roy Campenella award
  • Dodgers clinch the NL West with Charlie Culberson walk-off homer
  • Vin Scully calls final game at Dodger Stadium
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August 2016 Recap

On August 1, 2016 the Dodgers were 2 games behind the Giants, and on a flight to Denver, Colorado. They had won their previous series against the Diamondbacks the day before, and were preparing to play the Rockies. They turned to Brandon McCarthy, who was making his 2nd start of the year. In the game, McCarthy lasted only 3 innings and allowed 3 runs. The Dodgers lost game 2 by a score of 12-2, but won game 3  by a score of 4-2.

After losing the series to the Rockies, the Dodgers traveled home to face the Boston Red Sox. Before game 1, the Dodgers honored David Ortiz or “Big Papi” as he is more commonly known.

They lost game 1 against Steven Wright because they were unable to hit his knuckle ball, the final score was 9-0. They won the next 2 games, with scores of 3-0 and 8-5. David Ortiz did not hit any home runs during the series.

The Phillies came to town and Chase Utley faced his former team for the first time. The Dodgers won game 1 by a score of 4-9, with Corey Seager contributing with 2 home runs. They won game 2 by a score of 7-2, with Howie Kendrick playing very well on his bobble head night. The Giants lost to the Marlins and the Dodgers moved into 1st place in the NL West. The Dodgers lost game 3 by a score of 6-2, and the Giants won that night, putting the Dodgers back into 2nd place.

The Dodgers were given a rare off day before the Pirates came to town. They dropped the first game by a score of 5-1, with Andrew McCutchen playing very well. The Giants lost that night too, so the Dodgers stayed ½ game behind. The Pirates handed the Dodgers game 2, stranding 18 runners on base, the finals score was 8-4. The Pirates crushed the Dodgers 11-3 in the final game of the series, leaving them in 2nd place.

After a day to travel to Philadelphia, the Dodgers prepared to battle the Phillies. Chase Utley returned to play against his former team in Philadelphia. The fans were continuously applauding Utley throughout the game, and asked for 3 curtain calls, all in the same night.

The Dodgers won the game 15-5, and moved back into first place. The Dodgers won game 2 of the series 7-2, but dropped game 3 by a score of 4-5.

They then traveled to Cincinnati to face the Reds. They lost game 1 by a score of 2-9 and game 2 by a final score of 1-11, the Giants lost too and the Dodgers remained 1 game on top. The Dodgers won game 3 by a score of 4-0, with Julio Urias pitching 6 shutout innings on his birthday The Dodgers won game 4 of the series 18-9, Adrian Gonzalez hit 3 homers, Andrew Toles and Rob Segedin both hit their first major league homers, and Corey Seager broke the Dodgers record for home runs by a shortstop with his 22nd of the season.

The Dodgers came back to LA for what would be one of the most important series’ of the year. The Giants came to town and the Dodgers sent out Kenta Maeda to face off against Madison Bumgarner. Corey Seager went 3-4 as the Dodgers handed the Giants a 5-9 loss. The Dodgers won the second game 0-1 with a Justin Turner home run being the difference in that game. In game 3, Matt Moore was 1 out away from no-hitting the Dodgers when Corey Seager hit a single to right field. The Giants won the game 4-0.

The Cubs came to town and Kris Bryant showed the Dodgers that the Cubs don’t give up. Kenley Jansen blew his 6th save of the year when Carlos Ruiz was unable to catch a pitch that missed its target in the 9th inning. Bryant then hit a 2 run home run in the 10th inning and the Cubs took game 1 by a score of 6-4. The Dodgers took the second game 2-3 and Kenley Jansen got the save. The Dodgers then won game 3 when Corey Seager’s heads-up base running allowed Andrew Toles to score the go-ahead run, the final score was 0-1.

The Dodgers then traveled to Colorado and lost the first game 1-8. Their second game was postponed due to rain and rescheduled to be part of a doubled-header the next game. They lost the first game of the day 0-7, but won the night game 10-8. Andrew Toles hit a go-ahead grand slam in the 9th inning with 2 outs, capping a 6 run come from behind rally. The Dodgers are now 1.5 games ahead of the Giants.

More important occurrences:

  • The Dodgers acquired Rich Hill and Josh Reddick from the A’s at the trade deadline.
  • Clayton Kershaw was transferred to the 60 day DL with a mild herniate disk in his back.
  • Corey Seager set a new franchise record for home runs by a shortstop.
  • Andre Ethier began his rehab assignment with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
  • The Dodgers traded A.J. Ellis to the Phillies for Carlos Ruiz.
  • Clayton Kershaw threw a simulated game and is expected to begin his minor league assignment soon.
  • The Dodgers battled with the Giants during the whole month and are currently sitting on a 1.5 game lead.

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