The 2012 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 123rd for the franchise in
Major League Baseball, and their 55th season in Los Angeles. The Dodgers celebrated the Golden Anniversary of
Dodger Stadium, their home since 1962. It was a transitional year as the sale of the team from
Frank McCourt to
Guggenheim Baseball Management was not finalized until May 1. The new ownership group put their stamp on the team quickly by making a number of big trades and putting more money into the team than McCourt did. After a fast start, the team faded down the stretch and finished eight games behind the
World Series ChampionGiants. To date, this remains the last year the Dodgers missed the playoffs.
Offseason
Ownership situation
The Dodgers muddled
ownership situation which had been in question since
Frank McCourt's separation from his wife at the end of the 2009 season started to resolve itself. First McCourt and estranged wife
Jamie McCourt reached a settlement in their bitter divorce case, in which she gave up her claims on the team for $130 million[1] and then McCourt agreed to a settlement with Major League Baseball in which the team was to be put up for sale in a bidding process with the bankruptcy court.[2] Several groups of potential owners placed bids on the Dodgers, including
Magic Johnson and
Mark Walter,
Steve Cohen,
Rick Caruso and
Joe Torre,
Stanley Gold, Dennis Gilbert and
Larry King,
Mark Cuban and
Orel Hershiser and
Steve Garvey.[3]
On March 27, 2012, it was announced that an agreement had been reached on the sale of the Dodgers between Frank McCourt and
Guggenheim Baseball Management LLC, a group of investors fronted by Guggenheim CEO
Mark Walter and including former
Los Angeles Lakers player
Magic Johnson, baseball executive
Stan Kasten and film mogul
Peter Guber.[4] The total sale price for the Dodgers (which includes Dodgers Stadium) exceeded $2 billion, making the sale the largest for a professional sports team in history, exceeding the approximately $1.5 billion purchase of
Manchester United F.C. by
Malcolm Glazer in 2005,[5] On the same day, it was also announced that the members of the group will partner McCourt in purchasing the property surrounding the stadium.[6] The sale price of the Dodgers was considered to be far higher than what the team was actually worth at the time of sale. Estimates made by Forbes placed the value of the Dodgers at approximately $1.4 billion, and the winning bid was more than 30% higher than the next highest bid.[7] On April 13, the sale was approved by the bankruptcy court[8] and the deal was finalized on May 1.[9]
Coaching staff
On September 30, 2011, the Dodgers announced the return of the entire coaching staff for the 2012 season.
Dave Hansen, who had previously been hired as an interim hitting coach, was officially promoted to hitting coach.[10]
The Dodgers re-signed outfielder
Juan Rivera to a one-year contract with a 2013 option.[16] They filled two of their open spots in rapid succession on November 15 by signing second baseman
Mark Ellis to a two-year contract[17] and backup catcher
Matt Treanor to a one-year contract.[18] The Dodgers signed infielder
Adam Kennedy to a one-year contract on December 1 to provide some infield depth[19] and they signed veteran starting pitcher
Chris Capuano to a two-year contract on December 2 to fill the void left by Kuroda's departure.[20] They added to their bench on December 5 by signing veteran utility player
Jerry Hairston Jr. to a 2-year contract.[21] The Dodgers finished their rebuilding of the rotation on December 8 by signing
Aaron Harang to a 2-year contract, with a vesting option.[22] The Dodgers chose to re-sign relief pitcher
Mike MacDougal, agreeing to a one-year contract (including a 2013 option) with him on January 5.[23] They added another relief pitcher on February 3 by signing veteran
Todd Coffey to a one-year contract.[24]
The Dodgers opened the 2012 season on April 5, 2012, against the
San Diego Padres at
Petco Park. Reigning
NL Cy Young winner
Clayton Kershaw started for the Dodgers, despite suffering from severe
flu. He pitched three scoreless innings before being replaced by several relief pitchers.
Matt Kemp hit his first home run of the season, a 2-run shot, and the Dodgers won 5–3.[25] The Dodgers won the next game as
Chad Billingsley pitched 8 1/3 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts and
Andre Ethier drove in 4 runs in the 6–0 victory.[26] The Dodgers rushed to a 5–0 lead on April 7 but the Padres tied it in the fifth when Dodger pitchers walked five, hit one and issued a wild pitch. The Dodgers managed to win 6–5 in 11 innings.
Dee Gordon was the star as he went 3–4 with three stolen bases, two walks and two runs scored as well as bringing home catcher
A. J. Ellis with the go-ahead single.[27] After starting the season 3–0 for the first time since
1999, the Dodgers dropped the finale of the 4-game opening series to the Padres 8–4 as new addition
Aaron Harang struggled in his season debut.[28]
For their home opener, the Dodgers beat the
Pittsburgh Pirates 2–1. Ethier celebrated his 30th birthday by hitting an eighth-inning home run for the deciding run. Kershaw recovered from the flu by allowing only one earned run in seven innings of work, while striking out seven.[29] The Dodgers improved to 5–1 on the season by beating the Pirates 4–1 the next day behind another strong start by Billingsley.[30] The Dodgers beat the Pirates again the next night, 3–2, to complete the sweep of the series. The Dodgers 6–1 record to start the season was their best start since
1981.[31] On April 13, Aaron Harang struck out 9 consecutive batters after giving up a single to set the all time Dodgers record against the Padres. The record was previously held by
Johnny Podres with 8 in
1962. The streak was stopped by
Will Venable when he hit an opposite field home run. Harang finished one strikeout short of tying
Tom Seaver's Major League record of 10 in a row set in
1970 and tied his career high with 13 total strikeouts in the game. The Dodgers won the game 9–8 after the bullpen allowed the Padres to tie the score.[32] The Dodgers continued their hot start by beating the Padres 6–1 behind two home runs by Kemp and one by Ethier.
Ted Lilly made his first start of the season and pitched seven dominant innings for the win.[33] The Dodgers swept the Padres with a wild 5–4 win on April 15. After taking a 4–1 lead, partially thanks to Matt Kemp's league leading 6th home run, the Dodgers allowed the Padres to tie the game at 4 heading to the ninth. With two on and no outs in the top of the ninth,
Javy Guerra threw the ball inside on
Jesús Guzmán, somehow the ball hit his bat and dribbled into fair Territory where A.J. Ellis threw it to third for the start of a
triple play, the Dodgers first since
1998. The Padres protested that umpire
Dale Scott had signaled that the ball was dead originally before changing his call. In the bottom of the inning, the Dodgers won the game on a walk-off single by Dee Gordon.[34]
The Dodgers opened their next road trip with a 5–4 defeat to the
Milwaukee Brewers that snapped the six game win streak. The Brewers won on a walk-off double by
George Kottaras off of Javy Guerra in the bottom of the ninth.[35] The Dodgers suffered their second straight defeat in walk-off fashion the next night when
Nyjer Morgan scored on a sacrifice fly by
Ryan Braun in the bottom of the 10th inning.[36] Matt Kemp hit his seventh home run of the season in the series finale to help the Dodgers avoid the sweep. Two good defensive plays at third base by
Jerry Hairston Jr. helped the Dodgers hold on to a 4–3 victory.[37] The Dodgers next traveled to
Houston for a matchup with the
Astros. In the opener, the one-two punch of Kemp & Ethier again accounted for all the Dodgers runs in a 3–1 victory.[38] Clayton Kershaw picked up his first win of the season in the next game as he struck out nine and only allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings. Kemp hit his ninth home run of the season and
James Loney his first in the Dodgers 5–1 win over the Astros.[39] The Dodgers road trip ended on a sour note as they got pounded by the Astros 12–0. Billingsley allowed nine runs in only 31⁄3 innings, including a grand slam home run by
Jordan Schafer.[40]
The Dodgers returned home on April 23 and remained undefeated at
Dodger Stadium by beating the
Atlanta Braves 7–2.
Juan Uribe tied a career high with four hits and drove in three runs in the win.[41] They picked up their first home loss of the season the next night, as
Martín Prado hit a tie breaking RBI triple off of Javy Guerra in the ninth to set up the Braves 4–3 win.[42] The Dodgers lost again the next night as Guerra gave up three runs in the ninth inning and the Braves came back to win 4–2 despite Matt Kemp's 10th home run of the season, which tied
Gary Sheffield's club record for home runs in April set in
2000.[43] The
Washington Nationals came to town next and the Dodgers won the opener 3–2 as ace Clayton Kershaw allowed only two runs in eight innings for his 12th straight win at Dodger Stadium. A two-run home run by Andre Ethier accounted for most of the offense.[44] On April 28, Billingsley matched up against
Stephen Strasburg and both pitched well, allowing one run each in seven innings of work. 19-year-old
2010 top draft pick
Bryce Harper made his Major League debut for the Nationals, crushing a double for his first hit and driving in a run on a sacrifice fly to put the Nationals up in the ninth but the Dodgers came back to tie it in the bottom of the ninth. Matt Kemp crushed a walk-off home run off
Tom Gorzelanny for the 4–3 win. It was Kemp's 11th home run of the season, breaking Sheffield's club record.[45] The Dodgers completed the sweep of the Nationals when James Loney's two RBI single backed
Chris Capuano's 62⁄3 shutout innings in a 2–0 victory in the finale of the homestand.[46]
The Dodgers ended the month of April in
Denver with a road game against the
Colorado Rockies. Kemp hit his league leading 12th home run early but the Rockies won 6–2 after Rockies relief pitchers struck out Kemp and Ethier with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. The Dodgers 16 wins in April was their most since the
1984 season.[47]
May
The month of May ushered in a new era for the Dodgers as the sale of the team by
Frank McCourt to
Guggenheim Baseball Management was finalized.[48] The Dodgers then won their first game under the new management that night against the Rockies.
Ted Lilly worked six strong innings and the Dodgers built a 7–0 lead thanks to homers by
Dee Gordon (the first of his career) and
Andre Ethier and then held on to win 7–6 after the bullpen allowed the Rockies to catch up.
Javy Guerra picked up his eighth save to preserve the win.[49] The Dodgers lost the final game of the series against the Rockies, 8–5, when
Jason Giambi hit a walk-off three-run homer against
Scott Elbert.[50]Jerry Hairston Jr. fell a double short of the
cycle in the opener of a series against the
Chicago Cubs on May 4 but the Dodgers still lost 5–4.[51]Chris Capuano pitched seven scoreless innings the next day and the Dodgers ended their brief two-game losing streak with a 5–1 win.[52] Another costly blown save by Javy Guerra cost the Dodgers in the finale, which they lost 4–3 when
Jamey Wright walked in the winning run in the 11th inning.[53]
The Dodgers returned home for their first homestand under the new ownership and beat the
San Francisco Giants 9–1.[54] The next night,
Clayton Kershaw gave up a two-run homer to
Brett Pill in the second inning before settling down to pitch eight strong innings, but the Dodgers were unable to get runs in against
Ryan Vogelsong and lost 2–1.[55] A three-run pinch hit triple by
Tony Gwynn Jr. gave the Dodgers the lead in the series finale against the Giants and they held on to win 6–2.[56] On May 11, Capuano improved his record to 5–0, while allowing just one run on four hits in seven innings.
Mark Ellis,
Juan Uribe and Andre Ethier provided the offense as each hit a home run in the club's 7–3 win over the Rockies.[57]Aaron Harang allowed just one run in eight innings on May 12 and Tony Gwynn Jr. came through again with a pinch hit RBI to drive in the winning run in the Dodgers 2–1 victory over the Rockies.[58] The Dodgers completed the sweep of the Rockies thanks to a 3-RBI double by
Bobby Abreu and a 3-run homer by
A. J. Ellis that led the team to an 11–5 win in the series finale.[59] Kershaw pitched seven scoreless innings to outduel
Ian Kennedy on May 14, as the Dodgers beat the
Arizona Diamondbacks 3–1.[60]Chad Billingsley struggled and the Dodgers had difficulty scoring in the finale of the homestand, losing to the Diamondbacks 5–1 and snapping their five-game winning streak.[61]
With their lineup beset by injuries to key players, the Dodgers started a quick two game road trip to
San Diego with a 4–2 loss to the
Padres.[62]Aaron Harang pitched seven shutout innings as the Dodgers won big the next night, 8–1.[63]
Back home for a weekend matchup with the NL Central leading
St. Louis Cardinals, the Dodgers managed to survive a blown save by closer
Kenley Jansen and won in the bottom of the ninth when
Fernando Salas walked A.J. Ellis with the bases loaded. The Dodgers won 6–5.[64] Kershaw pitched a complete game shut out on May 19, the fourth of his career, as the Dodgers beat the Cardinals 6–0.[65]Scott Van Slyke hit his first career home run on May 20, a three-run shot in the bottom of the seventh to lead the Dodgers to a 6–5 victory and a sweep of the Cardinals.[66]
The Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks 6–1 on May 22 at
Chase Field as their win streak reached five games.
Matt Treanor,
James Loney and Ethier all homered in the win as Chris Capuano picked up his team leading sixth victory.[67] In the next game, the Dodgers fell behind 6–1 after 6 innings, then rallied for 5 runs of the Arizona bullpen to tie the game in the 7th.
Lyle Overbay, who was 4–4 in the game, hit a solo homer in the 8th off
Josh Lindblom to put the Diamondbacks back ahead. However the Dodgers went ahead 8–7 thanks to a 2-RBI double by
Iván DeJesús Jr. in the top of the ninth off Diamondbacks closer
J. J. Putz. Kenley Jansen induced a game ending double play to preserve the Dodgers sixth straight victory.[68] The streak ended the next night, as did Ted Lilly's personal eight-game winning streak, as Lilly was shelled for 8 runs on 9 hits and 5 walks over 31⁄3 innings and the Dodgers were crushed 11–4 by the Diamondbacks.[69]
Back home to play the
Houston Astros on May 25, Kershaw allowed a 2-run homer to
J. D. Martinez in the third inning and were unable to overcome it in a 3–1 defeat.[70] The following day, L.A. again managed to avoid losing three in a row as A. J. Ellis hit a three-run walk-off homer in a 6–3 victory.[71] The Dodgers beat the Astros on May 27, 5–1 behind Chris Capuano who allowed only two hits in seven innings. Jerry Hairston Jr. had 5 hits in 5 at-bats and backup catcher Matt Treanor homered in the win.[72] The Dodgers bats were silent on
Memorial Day as they only scored two runs against
Milwaukee Brewers starter
Shaun Marcum and lost 3–2.[73]Nathan Eovaldi made his first start for the Dodgers (replacing the injured Ted Lilly) on May 29 and promptly allowed a two-run homer by
Ryan Braun in the top of the 1st, which was all the Brewers needed to defeat the Dodgers 2–1.[74] The Dodgers lost their third straight game (for the first time in the 2012 season) when they fell to the Brewers 6–3 the next day. In only his second day back after spending 15 days on the disabled list,
Matt Kemp re-injured his left hamstring while scoring in the 1st inning.[75] After receiving the news that Kemp was likely to be out for all of June, the Dodgers meekly lost to the Brewers 6–2 to end the homestand. The series marked the first time the Dodgers were swept in a four-game series at home since
1993 and the first time they were ever swept by the Brewers in any series.[76]
June
The Dodgers began the month of June where they left off in May, losing their fifth straight game. This time they committed four errors and were pounded by the
Colorado Rockies 13–3 at
Coors Field.[77] In that game, the Dodgers set a Major League record by having five sons of former Major Leaguers in the lineup at the same time (
Tony Gwynn Jr.,
Jerry Hairston Jr.,
Iván DeJesús Jr.,
Dee Gordon and
Scott Van Slyke). It was also the first time a starting infield of four major league sons had ever occurred:
first baseman Van Slyke,
second baseman Hairston,
third baseman De Jesus and
shortstop Gordon.[78] The losing streak came to an end the next day, when they got a strong pitching performance from
Aaron Harang and some timely hitting, including
Bobby Abreu's first homer as a Dodger, in a 6–2 win.[79] However, the Dodgers offense went back into hibernation the next day as they dropped the series finale to the Rockies 3–2.[80] The Dodgers road trip continued on June 4 as they traveled to
Citizens Bank Park to open a four-game series against the
Philadelphia Phillies. Dee Gordon hit a triple to lead off the ninth against Phillies closer
Jonathan Papelbon and then scored on a single by
Elián Herrera to give the Dodgers the winning margin in the 4–3 victory.[81] Herrera came through the next night as well, hitting a two-RBI double off
Cliff Lee in the top of the eighth to give the Dodgers the go-ahead run in a 2–1 victory over the Phillies.[82] Dee Gordon delivered a two-run single during the Dodgers three-run sixth inning on June 6 as they again came from behind to beat the Phillies, this time by a score of 6–5.
Kenley Jansen picked up his third save in three days against the Phillies.[83] The Dodgers, helped by three Phillies errors, swept the series with an 8–3 victory in the series finale. The victory was the 100th career win for pitcher Aaron Harang and the team's first ever four-game series sweep in Philadelphia.[84] The Dodgers continued the lengthy road trip with a cross-country flight to
Seattle to take on the
Mariners in
interleague play. In the opener
Nathan Eovaldi pitched six scoreless innings before the Mariners got a run off of relief pitcher
Scott Elbert. It was all they needed because
Kevin Millwood and five relief pitchers combined to pitch a
no-hitter against the Dodgers. This was the first official no-hitter against the Dodgers since
Kent Mercker of the
Atlanta Braves had done it on April 4,
1994.[85] The Dodgers got back into the winning ways the next day as
Clayton Kershaw stuck out a season-high 12 batters in 7 innings and Jerry Hairston Jr. hit a home run and had 5 RBI in the 8–3 win.[86]Andre Ethier hit his fourth career grand slam to back
Chad Billingsley's strong effort as the Dodgers closed out the lengthy road trip with an 8–2 victory over the Mariners. Billingsley allowed only one run in 7 innings while striking out 8.[87]
The Dodgers finally returned home on June 11 only to lose 3–2 to the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, led by rookie outfielder
Mike Trout, who was 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBI in the game.[88] The Dodgers struggled against Angels starter
Jerome Williams the next night, trailing 2–1 heading into the bottom of the eighth. However they battled back as Ethier hit a game-tying single and then
Juan Rivera put the Dodgers ahead to stay with a three-run home run. Kenley Jansen picked up his 10th save in the 5–2 victory.[89] The Angels took the final game of the series as
Erick Aybar hit a tie-breaking home run off Jansen in the top of the ninth to give them the 2–1 win over the Dodgers.[90] In the next game, on June 15 against the
Chicago White Sox, Kershaw struggled, giving up 5 runs in his 6 innings of work but the Dodgers came back and won the game 7–6 thanks to a wild pitch by reliever
Matt Thornton that pushed across the eventual winning run.[91] The Dodgers again fell behind early the next day, then came back to tie the game. However, this time they lost 5–4.[92]Chris Capuano struck out 12 in 8 innings of the series finale on
Father's Day but left the game down 1–0. The Dodgers rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th and won in the 10th after a triple by Tony Gwynn Jr. and a walk off single by Dee Gordon.[93]
Back on the road, the Dodgers were shut out by
Oakland Athletics starter
Brandon McCarthy and Aaron Harang struggled, walking 8 batters in only 4 innings and allowing 3 runs in the 1st which was all Oakland needed in the 3–0 victory.[94] The Dodger offense continued to stumble the following day, losing again to Oakland, this time by a score of 4–1.[95] Clayton Kershaw allowed only one run on three hits in eight innings in the finale but the Athletics still swept the Dodgers thanks to a walk-off home run by
Yoenis Céspedes off
Josh Lindblom in the bottom of the ninth that gave them a 4–1 win.[96] The Dodgers traveled to
Anaheim to begin another series with the Angels on June 22. They took an early 5–0 lead, partially thanks to a 3-run homer hit by Bobby Abreu, but lost the game 8–5 to extend their losing streak to four games.[97] The Dodgers ended their skid and picked up a win the next day as Chris Capuano allowed only one run in 7 innings to pick up his ninth win and Dee Gordon was 2–4 with a triple, a stolen base and 2 runs scored in the Dodgers 3–1 win over the Angels.[98] The Dodgers dropped the finale of the
Freeway Series when they lost 5–3. This continued the Angels streak of beating the Dodgers in interleague series that has continued since
2006.[99] The Dodgers next traveled to San Francisco for a divisional series against the second place
Giants. However, rookie Nathan Eovaldi struggled, allowing 7 runs in the first 2 innings and 8 total in his 5 innings of work and the Dodgers lost 8–0 to see their lead over the Giants in the division drop to 2 games.[100] Clayton Kershaw allowed only 2 runs against the Giants the next day, but the team was again shut down offensively (this time by
Ryan Vogelsong) as they lost 2–0. This was the first time the Dodgers had been shut out in back-to-back games against the Giants since
1987.[101] The Dodgers woes continued the next day as they were shut out 3–0 by
Tim Lincecum and the Giants. The Dodgers, who were shut out in 3 straight games in the series and fell into a tie with the Giants for first place in the division, extended their scoreless streak to 30 innings. This was the first time one team had thrown three straight shutouts against the Dodgers since the
1937 Boston Braves did it to the
Brooklyn Dodgers.[102]
The Dodgers scoreless streak eventually reached 33 innings, fifth longest in team history and the longest since
2004 before they finally scored a run in the 4th inning against the
New York Mets in the 1st game of a homestand. However, it was not enough as they lost 3–2 to the Mets, extending the losing streak to 5 games and dropping them out of first place for the first time since April 11.[103] The swoon continued the next day as the Dodgers were dominated by
R. A. Dickey and his
knuckleball and were shut out again, 9–0. This was the Dodgers sixth straight loss, the longest losing streak since September
2010.[104] On June 30, it was
Johan Santana's turn to hold the Dodgers scoreless as he allowed only 3 hits in 8 innings and the Dodgers lost again 5–0 for their seventh straight loss, the longest losing streak since August
2008. They ended the month of June by scoring runs in only one of the last 57 innings they played.[105]
July
The Dodgers ended their skid as the month turned to July.
Clayton Kershaw allowed only one earned run in 7 innings, while striking out 9 and the Dodgers took advantage of 3 Mets errors to pull off an 8–3 victory.
Dee Gordon was 2 for 5 with 3 steals and 2 errors in the game.[106] The Dodgers relapsed the next day as the
Cincinnati Reds beat them 8–2 for
Chad Billingsley's fourth straight loss.[107] The Dodgers came from behind to beat the Reds the next day, as
Luis Cruz, just called up from the minors a few days before, doubled in the tie-breaking run in the seventh inning and stole home for the insurance run in the 3–1 win.[108] On the
Fourth of July,
Aaron Harang allowed only one run in seven innings to record his first victory since June 7 and the Dodgers won the series with a 4–1 victory in the finale.[109]
The Dodgers opened up a four-game series with the
Arizona Diamondbacks at
Chase Field on July 5.
Nathan Eovaldi earned his first win of the year after 5 loses when he allowed only one run in 6 innings. Solo homers by
Scott Van Slyke and
Elián Herrera led the offense as the Dodgers won 4–1.[110] Kershaw struggled in the next game, allowing 5 runs to score in the 6th inning as the Dodgers fell to the Diamondbacks 5–3.[111] Same story the next day as the Diamondbacks also beat Chad Billingsley 5–3. This was Billingsley's fifth straight loss, a new career high.[112] The Dodgers limped into the All-Star break as they dropped the finale to the Diamondbacks 7–1.[113]
The Dodgers began the second half of the season with the return of injured stars
Matt Kemp (out since mid-may with a hamstring injury) and
Andre Ethier (out for two weeks with a strained oblique). A solid performance by Kershaw and
Mark Ellis two-run homer propelled them to a 2–1 win over the
San Diego Padres at
Dodger Stadium.[114] The next night, the Dodgers led going into the ninth but
Everth Cabrera stole hole against closer
Kenley Jansen to tie the game and
Will Venable scored the winning run when Jansen's throw to the plate went wide of catcher
A. J. Ellis. The final score was 7–6.[115] A season high five errors, include two in the decisive seventh inning by
Jerry Hairston Jr. led to six unearned runs in the Padres 7–2 victory over the Dodgers on July 15.[116] Home runs by
Jimmy Rollins and
Ryan Howard sent the Dodgers to a 3–2 loss to the
Philadelphia Phillies.[117] A sore arm prevented Chad Billingsley from making his next start, on July 17, so the Dodgers called up
Stephen Fife from the minors to make his Major League debut. Fife pitched well, allowing only 1 run in 6 innings, but the bullpen faltered and the team lost 3–2 for the second straight day.[118] The team picked up a win in the series finale the next day as Matt Kemp hit his first home run since April 30, a two-run walk-off blast in the bottom of the 12th to give the Dodgers a 5–3 victory.[119]
The Dodgers began their first road trip of the second half of the season in
New York City against the
Mets on July 20. Kemp and Luis Cruz each slugged two-run homers off Mets starter
Johan Santana and the team held on for a 7–6 victory.[120]Juan Uribe, who had struggled in the first half of the season, broke out in the next game, with a homer, double, two walks, four RBI and three runs scored.
Chris Capuano picked up his team leading 10th win in the 8–5 victory.[121]Matt Treanor's pinch hit two-run single in the top of the 12th inning led the Dodgers to an 8–3 victory over the Mets on July 22. The win completed the Dodgers first 3-game series sweep of the Mets in New York since
2002 and gave rookie
Josh Wall the win. Wall was the first Dodger to pick up a win in relief in his first appearance since
Tim Belcher in
1987.[122] Billingsley came off the disabled list to pitch six solid innings in the Dodgers 5–3 win over the
St. Louis Cardinals on July 24. Luis Cruz's three-run homer was main offense in the game.[123] Kershaw struggled in the next game, allowing 8 earned runs, in the Dodgers 8–2 loss to the Cardinals that ended the five-game winning streak.[124] The Dodgers acquired
Hanley Ramírez from the
Miami Marlins in a trade on July 25 and Ramírez went 2-for-4 with a triple in his Dodgers debut against the Cardinals. It wasn't enough, however, as ex-Dodger
Rafael Furcal hit a two-out single to left in the bottom of the 12th to give the Cardinals a 3–2 victory.[125] Chris Capuano turned in his worst start of the season in the finale against the Cardinals, as the Dodgers lost 7–4.[126] Ramírez hit his first home run as a Dodger in the opener of a key series against the division leading
Giants. The two-run homer, in the top of the 10th inning was the difference in a 5–3 victory.[127] The Dodgers picked up another win against their rivals the next day as Chad Billingsley pitched 71⁄3 scoreless innings while allowing only 4 hits and Matt Kemp went 4 for 5 with two doubles and a home run in the 10–0 rout.[128] Kershaw pitched a five-hit complete-game shutout to complete the Dodgers sweep of the Giants, 4–0, and move them back into a tie for first place in the division.[129]
The Dodgers returned home on July 30, but Aaron Harang had a poor day, allowing a three-run home run by
Paul Goldschmidt and a grand slam by
Chris Johnson as the Dodgers lost 7–2.[130] Home runs also caused a problem for Chris Capuano, including a two-run homer by Goldschmidt and a three-run blast by
Miguel Montero as the Dodgers closed out July with an 8–2 loss.[131]
August
The Dodgers acquired
Shane Victorino from the
Philadelphia Phillies at the trade deadline[132] but it wasn't enough as they were held to 2 hits and 0 runs by
Patrick Corbin and the Diamondbacks in a 4–0 defeat to start August.[133]Chad Billingsley allowed only 1 run in 7 innings, while striking out 7 and
A. J. Ellis hit two home runs (the first multi-homer game of his career) as the Dodgers beat the
Chicago Cubs 6–1 on August 3.[134]Clayton Kershaw followed the next day by pitching seven innings of one run, three-hit ball and picked up the win 3–1.
Matt Kemp's two-run homer in the 4th inning sparked the offense.[135] The Dodgers acquired
Joe Blanton in a trade with the Phillies on August 3 [136] and he made his Dodger debut on August 5 in the finale against the Cubs. The Dodgers completed the sweep with a
7–6 win, thanks to a walk-off single by
Hanley Ramírez.[137] However, they were shut out the next night by the
Colorado Rockies 2–0.[138] The Dodgers offense remained in hibernation for another day as the Rockies beat them 3–1 on August 7.[139] The homestand ended with a 6–4 win by the Dodgers. Matt Kemp hit a three-run homer in the 1st inning, Victorino was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and Billingsley picked up his 4th straight victory.[140]
The Dodgers next traveled to
Miami to begin their road trip with a 3-game series against the
Marlins. In his first game back since his trade to the Dodgers, Hanley Ramírez was 3 for 5 with 2 RBI and
Juan Rivera homered as Kershaw picked up his 10th win of the season in the 5–2 victory.[141] on August 11, the Dodgers left the bases loaded in each of the first two innings and left 10 men on base the whole game as the Marlins scored 4 in the 5th off Joe Blanton to beat the Dodgers 7–3.[142]Chris Capuano did not allow a hit until the 7th inning in the series finale and left the game after 8 innings with only two hits and no runs allowed, as well as 10 strikeouts. The Dodgers won 5–0 as Ramírez drove in 3 runs against his former team.[143] Shane Victorino homered and drove in 3 runs to lead the Dodgers to a 5–4 victory over the
Pittsburgh Pirates on August 13.[144] The next night, Billingsley pitched eight shutout innings and
Luis Cruz was 3 for 5 with 3 RBI in the Dodgers 11–0 rout of the Pirates.[145] The Dodgers moved back into sole possession of first place for the first time since July 13, when Kershaw pitched 8 solid innings (3 runs, 8 strikeouts, no walks) and the team racked up a season-high 15 hits in a 9–3 win.[146] Matt Kemp and
Don Mattingly were both ejected in the 2nd inning of the Dodgers 10–6 loss to the Pirates on August 16.[147] The Dodgers spoiled a strong start from Capuano on August 17 when
Ronald Belisario allowed the tying runs in the eighth inning and
Juan Francisco hit a walk-off single off
Jamey Wright in the 11th inning to lead the
Atlanta Braves to a 4–3 win.[148] Mattingly was suspended for the final two games of the Braves series as a result of his argument with the umpires in the final game of the Pirates series.[149] With bench coach
Trey Hillman leading the team as acting manager, the Dodgers only managed 4 hits against the Braves, but all of them were home runs. Hanley Ramírez hit two of the homers, and drove in 4 of the runs in the process for the 6–2 victory.[150] The Dodgers wrapped up the road trip with a 5–0 win over the Braves. Billingsley pitched seven shutout innings in the game.[151]
The Dodgers returned home from the long road trip for a key divisional series with the
San Francisco Giants. In the first game of the series, Kershaw allowed only two runs in 8 innings while striking out 10 but it wasn't enough as
Madison Bumgarner also struck out 10 in 8 innings, but didn't allow any runs. The Dodgers lost 2–1 to fall back behind the Giants in the divisional race.[152] The Dodgers also dropped the next game, 4–1, as
Tim Lincecum shut down the Dodgers offense and Joe Blanton struggled.[153] The Giants again pounced on the Dodgers early in the series finale, scoring 3 runs in the top of the 1st and coasting to an 8–4 victory that dropped the Dodgers 21⁄2 games back in the division. This was the Giants first three-game series sweep over the Dodgers at
Dodger Stadium since
2007.[154] The Dodgers made up for the drought against the Giants by scoring runs in bunches against the Marlins and former teammate
Nathan Eovaldi.
Juan Rivera,
Andre Ethier and Hanley Ramírez all homered in the 11–4 win.[155] The Dodgers and
Boston Red Sox made a trade on August 25, considered by many to be the "biggest August trade in MLB history" which sent
James Loney and four minor leaguers to the Red Sox for
Adrián González,
Josh Beckett,
Carl Crawford and
Nick Punto. González made a huge splash with his new team, smashing a three-run home run off Marlins ace
Josh Johnson in his first at-bat with his new team. The Dodgers offense did not look back, running up 16 hits in the 8–2 win. Andre Ethier got his tenth straight base hit, breaking the L.A. Dodger record set by
Ron Cey in
1977 and tying the franchise record set by
Ed Konetchy in
1919.[156] The Marlins hit four home runs off the Dodgers the next day to win the series finale 6–2.
Giancarlo Stanton hit home runs in each game of the series for the Marlins.[157]
Beckett made his Dodgers debut in the opener of a series against the Colorado Rockies at
Coors Field. He allowed 3 runs in 52⁄3 innings and struck out 6, but the Dodgers offense was shut out completely and the bullpen blew up in a 10–0 loss.[158] Kemp injured himself by crashing into the center field wall in the 1st inning and had to leave the game, Capuano allowed 4 runs in the first and the Dodgers new look offense continued to struggle as they lost 8–4 on August 28.[159] The Dodgers offense finally came alive the next day, jumping to a 10–1 lead thanks to a 2-run homer by Hanley Ramírez, a grand slam by
A. J. Ellis and 71⁄3 solid innings from Joe Blanton. The bullpen faltered in the seventh and eighth by the Dodgers held on to win 10–8.[160]
The Dodgers returned home on August 30 to play the
Arizona Diamondbacks.
Ian Kennedy and three relievers held the Dodgers scoreless and Kershaw allowed one 2-run homer by
Chris Young and that was all they needed as the Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers 2–0. The team dropped to 41⁄2 games behind the Giants, their largest deficit of the season.[161] Reliever
Matt Guerrier allowed a solo homer to
Jason Kubel in the 11th inning on August 31, to give the Dodgers a 4–3 loss, their eighth straight loss to the Diamondbacks on the season.[162]
September
The Dodgers finally beat the Diamondbacks on September 1 as
Josh Beckett only allowed one run in 62⁄3 innings, while striking out 9, tying his season high.
Andre Ethier and
Hanley Ramírez each hit solo homers to account for the 2–1 victory.[163] The Dodgers finished off the series with another win, thanks to a two-run walk-off double by
Adrián González off Diamondbacks closer
J. J. Putz for the 5–4 win.[164] The Dodgers won again the next night against the
San Diego Padres as Ethier hit a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game and
A. J. Ellis hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th for the 4–3 victory.[165]Clayton Kershaw only allowed one run in 7 innings on September 4, while striking out 9. Kerhsaw became just the fifth Dodgers pitcher to post three straight 200 strikeout seasons (
Sandy Koufax,
Don Drysdale,
Fernando Valenzuela and
Hideo Nomo). Ethier hit a solo homer in the second inning for his 1,000th career hit but it wasn't enough as
Matt Guerrier gave up a two-run game-tying homer in the eighth and
John Ely allowed three runs to score in the 11th as the Dodgers lost to the Padres 6–3.[166] The Dodgers lost the series finale as well, 4–3, to the Padres.[167]
The Dodgers next started a key series against the
San Francisco Giants at
AT&T Park, hoping to make up ground in the standings. However, they dropped the opener of the series 5–2.[168] They evened the series the next day as Adrián González tripled in the eighth inning and scored on a double by Hanley Ramírez for the key run in a 3–2 victory.[169] However, the team fell 51⁄2 games behind the Giants when
Barry Zito shut them out the next day, 4–0.[170] On September 11, Kershaw only allowed three hits and one unearned run against the
Arizona Diamondbacks but it was too much as
Ian Kennedy blanked the Dodgers 1–0.[171] The Dodgers actually scored first the next night, Adrián González double scored two runs to give the Dodgers an early lead... but
Trevor Cahill shut them down the rest of the game and the Diamondbacks came back to win 3–2.[172]
The Dodgers returned home on September 13 to open up a series against the
St. Louis Cardinals, who held a one-game lead over them in the
wild card race to start the series. However, they continued to struggle offensively and dropped the game 2–1.[173] The Dodgers dropped behind 4–1 in the next game, but fought back to win 8–5 thanks to home runs by Ethier and
Luis Cruz, ending their four-game losing streak.[174] Trailing by one run entering the ninth on September 15, Luis Cruiz RBI double and
Juan Rivera's pinch hit walk off single, both off Cardinals closer
Jason Motte, gave the Dodgers a 4–3 win and moved them into a tie with the Cardinals for the final Wild Card spot.[175] However, they dropped the last game of the series, in 12 innings, 5–2.[176]
The Dodgers next began a key road trip against the two teams with the best records in the National League, the
Washington Nationals and
Cincinnati Reds. The opener of their series against the Nationals was rained out, forcing them to play a double-header on September 19. In the first game, the bats continued to be non-existent as they lost 3–1.[177] In the second game, Josh Beckett was brilliant for 7 innings as they Dodgers built a 6–0 lead, only to see the bullpen falter in the 8th and the Nationals tied the game.
Matt Kemp homered in the top of the ninth to provide the crucial run in the 7–6 victory.[178] They closed out the series the next day with a 4–1 loss, dimming their post-season hopes.[179] The Dodgers beat the Reds on September 21, thanks to a 2-RBI single by Kemp in the top of the 10th inning.[180]Mat Latos shut down the Dodgers the next day, for a 6–0 Reds victory.[181] Clayton Kershaw made the start on September 23, his first start since in 12 days since suffering a hip injury. Kershaw allowed only one run in 5 innings and Adrián González hit two home runs, to lead the Dodgers to a 5–3 victory over the Reds.[182] The Dodgers, with their season hanging by a thread, next traveled to
San Diego for a series with the Padres. They dropped the first game of the series 2–1.[183] Kemp had four hits, including a home run the next night as the Dodgers offense finally showed some life and they beat the Padres 8–2.[184] The Dodgers finished off their last road trip of the season with an 8–4 victory over the Padres, with both A.J. Ellis and Luis Cruz driving in 2 runs in the game.[185]
Trailing by 3 games in the Wild Card race with 6 games remaining, the Dodgers returned home on September 28 to play the
Colorado Rockies. Clayton Kershaw struck out 10 in 8 scoreless innings and
Shane Victorino hit a three-run homer in the 2nd inning as the Dodgers won 8–0. The Dodgers scored 8 runs in their third straight game, the first time they had done that since July 8–14,
2007.[186] Matt Kemp hit 2 home runs on September 29 and
Joe Blanton and 3 relievers combined to shut out the Rockies 3–0. The win, coupled with the Cardinals losing a game to the Nationals, moved the Dodgers to 2 back in the Wild Card race with 4 games remaining.[187] The Dodgers finished off the sweep of the Rockies with a 7–1 win. Kemp, A.J. Ellis and Cruz all homered in the win.[188]
October
The Dodgers began their final series of the regular season on October 1 against the
San Francisco Giants. In the opening game, they kept their slim post-season chances alive with a walk-off single by
Elián Herrera to beat the Giants 4–2.
Andre Ethier hit his 20th home run earlier in the game.[189] The Dodgers hopes were extinguished the next day as they dropped the game to the Giants 4–3 and were eliminated from the postseason contention.[190] The Dodgers ended their season on October 3 with a 5–1 win over the Giants.
Clayton Kershaw struck out 8 in his 8 innings of work and finished the season with a Major League best 2.53 ERA and 229 strikeouts, second in the league.[191]
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
On April 14, placed RHP
Todd Coffey on the 15-day disabled list and activated LHP
Ted Lilly from the 15-day disabled list.[198]
On April 24, placed RHP
Matt Guerrier on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 19, and purchased the contract of LHP
Michael Antonini from AAA Albuquerque.[199]
On May 11, placed IF
Jerry Hairston Jr. on the 15-day disabled list with a strained hamstring, retroactive to May 7, and recalled IF
Justin Sellers from AAA Albuquerque.[206]
On May 14, placed OF
Matt Kemp (strained hamstring) and IF
Juan Uribe (left wrist injury) on the 15-day disabled list, purchased the contract of IF/OF
Elián Herrera from AAA Albuquerque, recalled OF
Jerry Sands from AAA Albuquerque, and designated OF
Trent Oeltjen for assignment.[207]
On May 19, placed 2B
Mark Ellis on the 15-day disabled list (left leg injury) and recalled IF
Iván DeJesús Jr. from AAA Albuquerque.[208]
On May 25, reinstated IF
Jerry Hairston Jr. from the 15-day disabled list, and placed IF
Justin Sellers on the 15-day disabled list (bulging back disk) retroactive to May 23.[209]
On May 28, placed LHP
Ted Lilly on the 15-day disabled list (shoulder inflammation) and recalled LHP
Michael Antonini from AAA Albuquerque.[210]
On May 31, placed OF
Matt Kemp on the 15-day disabled list (strained hamstring) and recalled OF/2B
Alex Castellanos from AAA Albuquerque.[212]
June 2012
On June 4, placed RHP
Javy Guerra on the 15-day disabled list (right knee inflammation), moved RHP
Matt Guerrier from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list, optioned OF/1B
Scott Van Slyke to AAA Albuquerque, recalled OF/1B
Juan Rivera from the 15-day disabled list, and purchased the contract of RHP
Shawn Tolleson from AAA Albuquerque.[213]
On June 29, transferred IF
Justin Sellers to the 60-day disabled list and signed OF
Yasiel Puig as an international free agent. Optioned Puig to the Arizona Rookie League.[216]
July 2012
On July 2, purchased the contract of IF
Luis Cruz from AAA Albuquerque, optioned RHP
Shawn Tolleson to AAA Albuquerque, and transferred LHP
Ted Lilly from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list.[217]
On July 3, recalled RHP
Shawn Tolleson from AAA Albuquerque, and placed RHP
Todd Coffey on the 15-day disabled list (torn elbow ligament).[218]
On July 4, activated IF
Mark Ellis from the 15-day disabled list, and placed OF
Andre Ethier on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 28 (strained left oblique).[219]
On July 5, activated RHP
Javy Guerra from the 15-day disabled list, and placed SS
Dee Gordon on the 15-day disabled list (torn ulnar collateral ligament in right thumb).[220]
On July 14, placed RHP
Javy Guerra on the bereavement list, and purchased the contract of RHP
Josh Wall from AAA Albuquerque.[222]
On July 17, placed RHP
Chad Billingsley on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 8 (sore elbow) and recalled RHP
Stephen Fife from AAA Albuquerque.[223]
On July 18, activated RHP
Javy Guerra from the bereavement list, and optioned RHP
Stephen Fife to AAA Albuquerque.[224]
On July 23, activated RHP
Chad Billingsley off the 15-day disabled list and optioned RHP
Josh Wall to AAA Albuquerque.[225]
On August 8, optioned OF/1B
Jerry Sands to AAA Albuquerque.[236]
On August 10, activated IF
Adam Kennedy from the 15-day disabled list.[237]
On August 13, placed IF
Jerry Hairston Jr. on the 15-day disabled list (left hip inflammation) retroactive to August 12, and recalled IF
Elián Herrera from AAA Albuquerque.[238]
On August 19, optioned IF
Elián Herrera to AAA Albuquerque, and activated LHP
Scott Elbert from the 15-day disabled list.[239]
On August 22, optioned RHP
Javy Guerra to AAA Albuquerque, and activated RHP
Rubby De La Rosa from the 60-day disabled list.[240]
On August 27, optioned RHP
Shawn Tolleson to Hi-A Rancho Cucamonga, and recalled RHP
Josh Wall from AAA Albuquerque.[244]
On August 29, placed LHP
Scott Elbert on the 15-day disabled list (elbow pain), and recalled RHP
Shawn Tolleson from Hi-A Rancho Cucamonga.[245]
On August 30, optioned RHP
Josh Wall to AAA Albuquerque, activated RHP
Matt Guerrier from the 60-day disabled list and transferred SS
Dee Gordon from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list.[246]
September 2012
On September 1, recalled RHP
Javy Guerra and C
Tim Federowicz from AAA Albuquerque, purchased the contract of RHP
John Ely from AAA Albuquerque and placed OF Alfredo Silverio on the 60-day disabled list (right elbow injury).[247]
On September 2, purchased the contract of OF
Bobby Abreu from AAA Albuquerque, recalled RHP
Chris Withrow from AA Chattanooga and placed him on the 60-day disabled list (right shoulder strain).[248]
On September 4, placed RHP
Javy Guerra on the 15-day disabled list (left oblique strain) and recalled RHP
Josh Wall from AAA Albuquerque.[249]
On September 5, purchased the contract of LHP
Steven Rodriguez from AA Chattanooga and transferred RHP
Chad Billingsley from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list.[250]
The rookie league
Ogden Raptors won the
Pioneer League first-half title and clinched a playoff spot and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.[265] The Raptors later won the second-half title with a 5–4 win over the
Orem Owlz, which also set a franchise record with the team's 44th win.[266] Ogden went on to beat the
Grand Junction Rockies 2 games to 1 in the semifinals.[267] The Raptors lost to the
Missoula Osprey, 2 games to 1, in the championship series, the third straight year they lost in the finals.[268]
The AAA
Albuquerque Isotopes clinched the
Pacific Coast League American South division championship and a playoff berth with a 6–5 victory over the
Omaha Storm Chasers on September 2.[271] The Isotopes lost in the American Conference Championship series, 3 games to 2, to the Storm Chasers.[272]
The Dodgers selected 41 players in this draft. Of those, nine of them played Major League Baseball. The Dodgers received a supplemental first-round pick as compensation for the loss of free agent
Rod Barajas.
Left-handed reliever
Paco Rodriguez from the
University of Florida became the first player from this draft to make his major league debut when he was called up on September 9, 2012.