The Los Angeles Dodgers picked up where they left off in July, winning five of their first six games in the month of August, including a series victory against the Atlanta Braves and three-game (and subsequent season) sweep of the New York Mets.
Last Saturday, the Dodgers recorded their 43rd victory over the last 50-games — the most wins in a 50-game span in franchise history, surpassing the 2013 club’s historic 42-8 run.
Let’s look back at the previous two weeks of play and analyze which Dodgers players found success and those that struggled during the stretch.
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Justin Turner: It was a quiet two-week period for Turner, who hit .238/.320/.405 (87 wRC+) in 50 plate appearances.
He collected three extra-base hits during the span — a double and a pair of home runs over the weekend against his former Mets team.
Despite the slump, Turner drew more walks (six) than strikeouts (four) and his .211 BABIP indicates he was a bit unlucky at the plate. No need to worry.
Logan Forsythe: The veteran’s offensive woes continued into the first week of August.
In 43 trips to the plate, Forsythe hit .206/.349/.206 with one double and a team-leading 14 strikeouts.
While Forsythe led the Dodgers with eight walks during the timeframe, his 67 wRC+ was the third-lowest on the team among players with a minimum of 30 plate appearances.
Yasmani Grandal: In 32 plate appearances (nine games), Grandal batted .226/.250/.355 with two extra-base hits and 12 strikeouts to just one walk.
To make matters worse, Grandal left Saturday’s contest with back spasms and did not play on Sunday, though his injury isn’t considered to be serious.
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Chris Taylor: Taylor has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball during the second half, and the last two weeks only add to his case.
In 54 plate appearances, the 26-year0old hit .314/.352/.627 with five doubles, one triple and three home runs to go along with a team-leading 13 RBIs.
Since the All-Star break, Taylor leads the Majors in wRC+ (203) and FanGraphs’ WAR (1.7).
Corey Seager: He batted .408/.473/.694 with five doubles and three home runs in 55 plate appearances during the two-week span and additionally led the Dodgers in FanGraphs’ WAR among positional players (1.0).
Yasiel Puig: Puig’s offensive rejuvenation continued into August as he belted three home runs while ranking second on the Dodgers in slugging percentage among qualifiers (.659) in his last 44 trips to the plate.
Over the weekend, Puig set a new career high in home runs and has hit 14 overall in the eighth spot in the batting order.
Yu Darvish: It couldn’t have been a better Dodgers debut for Darvish, who picked up his first win since June 12.
In seven strong innings against the Mets, Darvish did not allow a run while yielding four baserunners and striking out 10 batters. It was his fifth overall double-digit strikeout performance of the season.
Rich Hill: Despite allowing a season-high three home runs during the first inning of Saturday’s start against the Mets, Hill still enjoyed a productive two-week span, posting a 3.38 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 10.2 innings.
Hill was recently honored as National League Pitcher of the Month for the month of July behind a stellar 1.45 ERA, 2.08 FIP and .171 opponents’ batting average in 31 innings.
Kenta Maeda: The right-hander was solid during the two-week stretch, posting a microscopic 0.75 ERA and 2.22 FIP in 12 innings while picking up wins in both starts.
Maeda has allowed just three earned runs over his last 22 innings — good for a 1.23 ERA.
Hyun-Jin Ryu: It was an excellent two weeks for Ryu, who pitched to a 0.95 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in 19 innings (three starts) without allowing a home run. He tallied 20 strikeouts to just four walks and extended his scoreless innings streak to 14.
Honorable Mentions
Chase Utley: Though he only received 17 plate appearances, Utley made the most of his opportunities, batting .438/.471/.688 with a double and home run while driving in five runs and scoring three.
Cody Bellinger: The 22-year-old continued his tear at the plate with a club-leading five home runs over the last two weeks and slugged .553 in the process. Bellinger also tied Taylor with a team-high 11 RBI during the span.
Alex Wood: Logging 13 innings over his last two starts, Wood pitched to a 3.46 and 3.52 FIP — most recently picking up a win against his former Atlanta Braves team on Thursday.
