Dodgers: NL West week in review May 15 through May 21

Los Angeles Dodgers (26-19) 2.0

The Dodgers had a  relatively slow week. After starting the week with a series loss in San Francisco, the team bounced back with a 3-1 series victory over the Miami Marlins. The Dodgers were able to stay afloat in the NL West with an above .500 week but were not able to gain ground on the Rockies.

However, the team is hitting its stride with six Dodgers hitting over .300 in the last seven games. Leading the way for the Dodgers was Justin Turner who was hitting .666 in the first three games to start the week. We all saw Turner pull his hamstring and go on the DL during the Miami series, so it’s no secret that his presence will be missed. Fortunately for the Dodgers, they’ve got a hot-hitting utility infielder in Chris Taylor to fill the gaps while Turner is gone.

Chris Taylor hit .450 in 20 at-bats, including a pair of home runs and 4 RBI. There were five Dodgers with four or more RBI in the week, and the offense has been on fire lately. Yasmani Grandal continued his breakout season with seven hits in 21 at-bats last week.

The pitching was nothing short of excellent on the week with two shutout performances by Alex Wood and Clayton Kershaw, but it’s not like those performances are surprising at this point. If the playoffs were to start today, I’d be comfortable knowing that Kershaw and Wood are my Game 1 and 2 starters.

There were some positive signs from other pitchings like Hyun-Jin Ryu, Rich Hill, and Brandon McCarthy who all came back and had quality outings. While Ryu and Hill didn’t pitch six innings, they still held their opponent to fewer than two runs.

The Dodgers also got healthier by activating Adrian Gonzalez from the DL in their home series against the Marlins. Logan Forsythe is expected to be activated tomorrow afternoon before their series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Forsythe is expected to play third base while Turner rests his hamstring and could find himself hitting third in the lineup.

The Dodgers also had some fireworks in their games against the Giants and Marlins, clearing the benches in each series. The incidents never led to an actual fight, but you love to see the team rally around each other in games during May. If the intensity is this high right now, imagine in October. I love it!

Last but not least credit needs to be given to Kenley Jansen. Moments after getting his first career hit in a four-out save, Kenley recorded just the 79th ever immaculate inning. Jansen struck out the side on nine pitches and picked up his 8th save of the season.

The Dodgers have a full week of home games so be sure to find your way to Chavez Ravine. They will play host to some NL Central opponents with three-game series against the Cardinals and Cubs. These are two good teams the Dodgers are going to face, so we’re going to need the offense to continue its hot hitting.