The Los Angeles Dodgers capped off a memorable regular season with their 9-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, surpassing the 1953 Brooklyn team for the most wins in franchise history (106).
The club now heads into the postseason on a strong note, having won seven consecutive games and 14 of their last 18. They posted an overall record of 18-6 in September, which translated to a .750 winning percentage — their best mark for any given month in 2019.
The Dodgers will officially host the winner of the National League Wild Card Game — either the Washington Nationals or Milwaukee Brewers — on Thursday, Oct. 3 in Game 1 of the NL Division Series at Dodger Stadium.
Let’s review the month of September and determine which direction certain Dodgers players are trending in while also highlighting those who thrived over the last two weeks of play.
Trending Down
Walker Buehler: He was less than solid in his final two starts of September, going 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 11 innings pitched. Buehler struck out 13 batters, walked seven and allowed two home runs during the stretch.
Dylan Floro: The right-hander struggled to the tune of a 7.20 ERA over his final seven appearances of the regular season, yielding four runs on seven hits in five innings of work.
Kiké Hernandez: His offensive woes limited him during the month of September as he hit just .185/.241/.222 with one double and four RBI in 29 opportunities (10 games).
Gavin Lux: After an excellent start to the month, Lux cooled off over the final two weeks of play, mustering up a .200/.282/.286 batting line with 15 strikeouts in comparison to drawing only four walks across 39 plate appearances.
Trending Up
Cody Bellinger: The 2019 NL MVP candidate tore the cover off the ball to close out the month of September, batting .314/.385/.686 with four doubles, three home runs and seven RBI in 39 trips to the plate (10 games).
Rich Hill: Though he labored at times in his final two outings of the regular season, Hill nonetheless got the job done, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit with nine strikeouts.
His final tuneup on Sunday was encouraging enough where Dodgers manager Dave Roberts essentially hinted that he will be the club’s Game 4 starter in the postseason.
Clayton Kershaw: The left-hander thrived during the month of September, going 3-1 with a 3.47 ERA in 23.1 innings pitched (five games; four starts).
Kershaw was especially efficient down the stretch, compiling a 2-0 record, 2.77 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with 13 strikeouts against two walks in 13 innings of work (three games).
On Sunday against San Francisco, the 31-year-old made his first regular season appearance out of the bullpen since 2009 and promptly retired the pinch-hitting Madison Bumgarner in what was likely his final at-bat as a member of the Giants.
Adam Kolarek: One of the summer’s most underrated trade acquisitions, Kolarek continued mowing down hitters in September. For the month, he allowed only four baserunners and one run in 5.1 innings pitched.
The left-handed specialist also thrived in his final five appearances, setting down four of the five batters he faced without allowing a run.
Dustin May: Looking to earn a spot on the Dodgers’ NLDS roster, May pitched brilliantly out of the bullpen over the final two weeks of action, accumulating six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and no walks.
Max Muncy: Despite missing a handful of games due to quad tightness, Muncy still excelled in the final two weeks of September, hitting .273/.415/.545 with three doubles, two home runs and 11 RBI over 41 plate appearances.
Joc Pederson: He was among the Dodgers’ most productive batters at the end of September, as evidenced by his .280/.406/.760 slash line in 32 plate appearances (11 games). He led the team in home runs during the stretch (four), and overall, hit
Hyun-Jin Ryu: The 2019 NL Cy Young Award candidate thrived on both sides of ball over the last two weeks of play, pitching to a 2-0 record, 1.93 ERA and 0.79 WHIP with a 15-0 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 14 innings of work.
He additionally hit his first career home run against Colorado Rockies right-hander Antonio Senzatela in the Dodgers’ final regular season game at Dodger Stadium.
Corey Seager: Seager finished the regular season on a tear, batting .389/.421/.833 with five doubles, one triple, three home runs and 12 RBI over his last 38 plate appearances.
Will Smith: After a brief slump at the start of the month, Smith bounced back in a big way to close out the regular season portion of his rookie season on a high note. He hit .269/.412/.538 with one double, two home runs and eight RBI over his final 34 trips to the plate.
