Dodgers send message with 6-0 homestand

April 16th, 2021

The Dodgers’ first homestand of the season began with the team receiving their World Series rings. It ended with a perfect record following a come-from-behind 7-5 win over the Rockies on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium.

With Mookie Betts and Corey Seager out of the starting lineup, and carried the load offensively, each delivering a key three-run homer. Muncy’s homer was the big one, a go-ahead bomb off Yency Almonte in the seventh inning. David Price worked around two hits in the ninth for his first career regular-season save.

The Dodgers continued their dominance against the Rockies with the win. Los Angeles is 28-8 over the last three seasons against Colorado, including a 6-1 record this season. The Dodgers have also been unbeatable at home lately. Including the two Wild Card Series matchups against the Brewers, they have won 12 consecutive games at Dodger Stadium.

Now it’s off to San Diego for the Dodgers, as they begin a much anticipated three-game series against the Padres.

“We’ve done what we can do up to this point, and I expect us to continue to play good baseball,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I think we’ve done a really nice job."

But before that series against the Padres, let’s take a look at four takeaways from the Dodgers’ perfect 6-0 homestand.

1. Dominant starting pitching
While didn’t have his best stuff on Thursday, allowing five runs (four earned) over six innings, the Los Angeles pitching staff established its dominance against both Washington and Colorado. Over the six games this homestand, Dodger starters had a 2.31 ERA, and they went at least six innings four times.

Clayton Kershaw continued his successful stretch, pitching six scoreless innings on Sunday against the Nationals. Trevor Bauer made a successful Dodger Stadium debut on Tuesday, striking out nine and allowing just one hit over seven scoreless innings against the Rockies. Walker Buehler also delivered his best start of the season, pitching six scoreless innings against the Nationals last Friday. The Dodgers pitched three combined shutouts over the homestand. The starting pitching was a big reason why.

2. Turner leads the offense
The Dodgers’ pitchers have been tremendous, but they have gotten plenty of support from one of the best lineups in baseball. And that’s with Cody Bellinger and Betts being out of the lineup for most of the homestand.

Turner hit three home runs in the past six games, including the game-winning solo home run in Friday’s home opener. He came into this season with just three career home runs in April. He has already surpassed that, launching four in the first 13 games. With a 3-for-3 performance on Thursday, Turner leads the team with four homers, 14 RBIs and a .432 batting average.

As a whole, the Dodgers’ offense is doing a lot of damage this season. According to STATS, the Dodgers are the first team in the modern era to have seven players with a .950+ OPS thru 13 games (min. 30 PA) -- Turner (1.321), Muncy (1.201), Betts (1.028), Will Smith (1.009), Seager (.998), Chris Taylor (.987) and Zach McKinstry (.974). The only other team to even have six was the 1932 Yankees. Los Angeles also had nine or more hits in four of the six games this homestand, and the club has scored an MLB-leading 37 runs in the first three innings of games this season. That relentless lineup was on full display on Thursday.

3. 'Angry' Jansen leads the bullpen
said he’s pitching angry this season, and that appears to be a good thing for the Dodgers' closer. Jansen had two of his best outings in a few seasons during the homestand. His velocity ticked up to the mid-90s, which is something he’s been seeking for years. Jansen’s two saves led the way for the Dodgers, but he was hardly the only pitcher that found success.

The Dodgers’ bullpen -- which tossed three more scoreless innings on Thursday, capped off with Price’s first save since the 2008 ALCS -- allowed just one run over 19 innings in the homestand. That’s a 0.47 ERA. Oh, and the Dodgers could be getting Brusdar Graterol back in the mix this weekend in San Diego.

“I just want to continue to throw the baseball the way I have the last two outings,” Price said. “Those guys have earned the spots they have out there, and I just want to earn that keep out in that bullpen.”

4. The legend of McKinstry
Of all the starpower on the Dodgers’ roster, it was the rookie McKinstry who stole the show in front of the home crowd. The 26-year-old is second on the team with three home runs and 11 RBIs. That’s not bad for the last position player to make the roster out of Spring Training.

McKinstry’s versatility was the focal point over the spring, and that has carried over into the regular season. He played three positions during the homestand. But it was his offense that made all the noise at Dodger Stadium.

“He’s a baseball player, man. I think that’s just the best compliment you can give anyone that plays our game,” Kershaw said of McKinstry. “It’s a great thing for us to have him in that utility role.”