EVEN WITH BAT SLUMPING, THE DODGERS KEEP WINNING
Over the last 15 games, since July 28, the Dodgers are 12-3, the best record in the majors. The Dodgders have been winning so frequently you don’t even really check on how they’re winning you just are amazed that they keep doing it.
But here’s the deal: they are in a batting slump and nobody seems to notice.
Through July 27 they were hitting .260, fifth in the National League.
Since July 28 they are hitting .237, 10th in the National League. Ah, I have your attention now.
This season they have 41 games in which they have had 10+ hits; including a stretch from July 22-26 when they had 11+ hits in four-of-five games. But since July 28, they have had just two games of 10+ hits.
But they keep winning, which is remarkable despite not getting double digit hits. In 76 games in which they have had no more than nine hits, they have a record of 45-31, making them the only team in major league baseball with a winning record in games in which they have not gotten 10 hits.
The Dodgers have a 57-game streak
We all know about Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak, but the Dodgers have now done it one better: the Dodgers have had at least two extra-base hits in 57 straight games and the streak is still active. It is the longest streak in the majors at least since back to 1913.
Strk Start | End | Games | W | L | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | Opp | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LAD | 2017-06-07 | 2017-08-13 | 57 | 48 | 9 | 312 | 505 | 111 | 9 | 107 | .265 | .352 | .501 | .854 | WSN,CIN,CLE,NYM,COL,LAA,SDP,ARI,KCR,MIA,CHW,ATL,MIN,SFG |
NYY | 1937-06-04 | 1937-07-27 | 49 | 33 | 14 | 349 | 519 | 103 | 27 | 78 | .296 | .376 | .518 | .894 | CLE,DET,CHW,SLB,PHA,WSH,BOS |
BAL | 2008-05-23 | 2008-07-12 | 46 | 21 | 25 | 246 | 439 | 110 | 12 | 58 | .269 | .335 | .458 | .793 | TBR,NYY,BOS,MIN,TOR,PIT,HOU,MIL,CHC,WSN,KCR,TEX |
CIN | 2000-06-18 | 2000-08-01 | 40 | 22 | 18 | 221 | 414 | 84 | 15 | 50 | .290 | .346 | .474 | .820 | SDP,COL,STL,ARI,CLE,DET,HOU,MON,NYM |
BOS | 1998-04-18 | 1998-06-02 | 40 | 23 | 17 | 205 | 396 | 94 | 9 | 53 | .283 | .345 | .476 | .821 | CLE,DET,ANA,TEX,MIN,KCR,CHW,NYY,TOR |
When the Dodgers homer, they rarely lose
Take a look at the numbers of losses each team has incurred when they homer and you get blown away by the success of the Dodgers. The Red Sox are playing great baseball. They have homered in 16 fewer games than the Dodgers and lost 11 more times than LA. Houston has homered in six more games than LA but has lost 19 more games.
Rk | Tm | #Games with at least one homer | W | L |
HR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | LAD | 89 | 74 | 15 | 172 |
2 | COL | 75 | 56 | 19 | 136 |
3 | BOS | 73 | 47 | 26 | 121 |
4 | ARI | 79 | 53 | 26 | 149 |
5 | WSN | 84 | 56 | 28 | 173 |
6 | KCR | 78 | 49 | 29 | 147 |
7 | PIT | 75 | 45 | 30 | 111 |
8 | SEA | 78 | 48 | 30 | 137 |
9 | CHC | 82 | 52 | 30 | 165 |
10 | ATL | 72 | 41 | 31 | 120 |
11 | LAA | 80 | 49 | 31 | 127 |
12 | CLE | 81 | 49 | 32 | 134 |
13 | DET | 81 | 49 | 32 | 136 |
14 | SFG | 62 | 29 | 33 | 94 |
15 | NYY | 91 | 58 | 33 | 166 |
16 | MIN | 79 | 45 | 34 | 132 |
17 | HOU | 95 | 61 | 34 | 188 |
18 | MIA | 85 | 50 | 35 | 140 |
19 | PHI | 69 | 33 | 36 | 114 |
20 | TBR | 82 | 46 | 36 | 164 |
21 | STL | 85 | 49 | 36 | 139 |
22 | BAL | 83 | 46 | 37 | 169 |
23 | TOR | 87 | 49 | 38 | 159 |
24 | CHW | 74 | 35 | 39 | 128 |
25 | OAK | 89 | 48 | 41 | 163 |
26 | MIL | 92 | 51 | 41 | 171 |
27 | TEX | 95 | 49 | 46 | 178 |
28 | NYM | 90 | 43 | 47 | 174 |
29 | SDP | 91 | 44 | 47 | 147 |
30 | CIN | 90 | 38 | 52 | 167 |
Yet, for the most part, the Dodgers bats are slumping
And as proof, I close with the LA numbers over the last 15 games.
Nine to Know: Dodger batting since July 18
Rk | Name | Tm | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA |
OBP | SLG | OPS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Corey Seager | Los Angeles | 15 | 69 | 60 | 10 | 24 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 11 | .400 | .478 | .633 | 1.112 |
2 | Cody Bellinger | Los Angeles | 15 | 65 | 60 | 12 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 10 | .317 | .369 | .667 | 1.036 |
3 | Justin Turner | Los Angeles | 15 | 63 | 53 | 12 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 3 | .264 | .333 | .660 | .994 |
4 | Chris Taylor | Los Angeles | 15 | 68 | 61 | 16 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 16 | .246 | .324 | .590 | .914 |
5 | Yasiel Puig | Los Angeles | 15 | 53 | 43 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 8 | .233 | .377 | .419 | .796 |
6 | Logan Forsythe | Los Angeles | 11 | 47 | 37 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 14 | .189 | .362 | .189 | .551 |
7 | Yasmani Grandal | Los Angeles | 10 | 35 | 32 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | .188 | .257 | .344 | .601 |
8 | Enrique Hernandez | Los Angeles | 13 | 31 | 29 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 11 | .172 | .226 | .241 | .467 |
9 | Joc Pederson | Los Angeles | 14 | 43 | 37 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | .081 | .209 | .135 | .344 |