The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their dominance in the month of May, posting a 19-7 record while expanding on their double-digit lead in the National League West standings.
The club did not suffer a losing streak during May and have since carried over that success into June with a 6-2 record thus far. All things have clicked for the Dodgers over the last 30 days, from their well-balanced offensive attack on opposing pitchers to their suffocating starting rotation that seemingly can’t be slowed down.
Let’s look back at the last month of play and identify which Dodgers players thrived, and those that struggled to find their groove.
Trending Down
Dylan Floro: Having thrived in the early portion of the 2019 season, Floro has since hit a rough patch, allowing eight runs (seven earned) in his last 5.1 innings pitched (eight appearances). He has posted a team-high 11.81 ERA in that span.
Kiké Hernandez: After a strong start to his 2019 campaign, Hernandez has cooled down at the plate over the last month of play, hitting just .171/.210/.289 in 81 plate appearances (21 games). Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes Hernandez’s struggles have stemmed from him trying too hard at times.
Trending Up
Cody Bellinger: Jumping out to a historic start at the plate, Bellinger has maintained his excellence over the last month of play. He is batting .289/.402/.567 with five doubles, one triple, six home runs and 16 RBI in 107 plate appearances (24 games).
Walker Buehler: The right-hander has been efficient over his last six starts, accumulating a 3-1 record, 1.85 ERA, 2.43 FIP and 0.87 WHIP with 46 strikeouts against four walks in 39 innings of work.
David Freese: Still performing at a high level in his age-36 season, Freese has torn the cover off the ball over the past 18 games, hitting .349/.404/.698 with six doubles, three home runs and nine RBI in 47 trips to the plate.
The veteran recently acknowledged the difficulty of not receiving regular at-bats, but is handling his platoon role in stride, putting up some of the best numbers of his career.
Rich Hill: The 39-year-old is in the midst of one of the best stretches in his career, posting a minuscule 1.50 ERA, 2.81 FIP and 1.07 WHIP over his last 30 innings pitched (five starts). He is 3-0 during the span, having struck out 38 batters while only yielding 23 hits.
Kenley Jansen: Jansen has bounced back in a big way after beginning his 2019 campaign on a negative note. He has not allowed a run over his last 9.1 innings of work (nine appearances), tallying seven saves and a superb 13-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Clayton Kershaw: While he may not have the same dominating stuff as he did earlier in this decade, Kershaw is still finding ways to get the job done.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner is 3-1 with a 2.97 ERA, 3.00 FIP and 1.11 WHIP over his last 33.1 innings pitched (six starts). In that span, he has struck out 28 batters in comparison to walking only four batters.
Kenta Maeda: As has been the case with the rest of the Dodgers’ starting rotation, Maeda has quietly excelled over the last month of play, pitching to a 2.38 ERA, 2.57 FIP and 0.62 WHIP in 22.2 innings (four games). He is a perfect 3-0 in that span, having struck out 29 batters while issuing just one walk.
Max Muncy: Currently in the midst of his best offensive stretch all season, Muncy is batting .297/.393/.538 with seven doubles, five home runs and 10 RBI over his last 107 plate appearances (24 games).
Joc Pederson: Continuing to log the majority of his plate appearances against right-handed pitchers, Pederson has thrived over the last month of play to the tune of a .294/.392/.632 with three doubles, one triple, six home runs and 13 RBI across 72 opportunities (22 games).
Hyun-Jin Ryu: Over his last five starts dating back to the beginning of May, Ryu is a perfect 5-0 with a 0.50 ERA, 1.94 FIP and 0.73 WHIP in 35.2 innings pitched. During the span, he has recorded 26 strikeouts against a mere three walks.
To no surprise, Ryu earned National League Pitcher of the Month honors for May and could be in line for his first career All-Star appearance to boot.
Corey Seager: After a slow start to the 2019 season, Seager looks more like his pre-Tommy John surgery self, hitting .330/.390/.628 with 10 doubles, six home runs and 26 RBI over his last 105 trips to the plate (25 games).
During this stretch, Seager has accumulated a team-best 1.5 WAR (FanGraphs) while drastically improving his numbers across the board.
Justin Turner: Despite having battled a minor hamstring injury in recent weeks, Turner has managed to hit a stellar .343/.432/.463 with five doubles, one home run and 13 RBI over his last 81 plate appearances (21 games).
Honorable Mentions
Russell Martin: The 14-year veteran has quietly enjoyed an excellent stretch at the plate, hitting .326/.375/.442 with two doubles, one home run and two RBI over his last 48 trips to the plate (14 games).
Will Smith: Even though he was sent back down to Triple-A Oklahoma City, the 24-year-old enjoyed an excellent first week in the Majors, seamlessly filling the void of Austin Barnes while he recovered from a groin strain on the 10-day injured list.
Smith hit .286/.348/.619 with one double and two home runs in 23 plate appearances (six games). He most notably propelled the Dodgers to victory on June 2 with a walk-off home run against Philaelphia Phillies reliever Hector Neris.
