MidValleySports.Com

By Those Deferred BenchWarmers

It was a clash with the Padres that included… just one exciting game. The First game of the series was an epic extra inning clash between the two teams atop the NL West, but the Dodgers punted game two in a laugher, and then quietly took the series in game three.

The Week in Review

Headline for the Week: Just Another Series in June: Dodgers Take Two of Three From Padres

Results: The Dodgers survived in extra innings on Monday, thanks to a really close strike three. They essentially gave away game two early, and then settled in nicely for a win in game 3.

Pitching Analysis: Dustin May had a rough outing against a team he has historically done well against, so that was surprising. May has already reached his career high in innings pitched in the majors, so that is something to monitor, especially with coming off the injuries. Aside from the sacrificing performance of Matt Sauer, the bullpen only gave up two earned runs all series… one by Ben Casparius as starter/opener, and one by Kiké Hernandez. The numbers (Padres outscored the Dodgers 20-14) look crazy, but deeper analysis shows the bullpen performed well, which is a great sign.

Hitting Analysis: The offense had its ups and downs, but hit .346 with runners in scoring position (a category they lead the majors in). All the starters except Hye-seong Kim had a hit in game 3, and Micahel Conforto and Teoscar Hernandez both hit homers, hopefully ending their recent slumps.

Defense/Baserunning Analysis: We just want to highlight Andy Pages, again. At the start of the year he was a liability defensively, but he has turned it around big time, with the latest the rocket he threw to gun down a runner at the plate in game 3. He’s gone from someone who we were nervous every time the ball was hit to him, to a gold glove candidate in the outfield.

Takeaway for the Week: The Dodgers can still turn it on when they need to. We’ll see if that trend continues this weekend.

Next Series’ Preview

Matchups: It’s another battle for first place in the West, as the Giants, a game back of first, come into town.

What to Look For: We expect a real battle as the Dodgers’ real rival comes into town. The Giants have been on a tear, winners of 9 of their last 13 and fresh off a seven game win streak. Those four losses have come by a combined four wins, with their 9 wins by a combined 13 runs. Interestingly, their last 17 games have been one or two run games, with 10 of their last 12 one run games (their record is 6-4).