The Dodgers’ depth took some hits during May, with a pair of injuries on both sides of the ball. But they withstood the losses and piled up the wins over the final three weeks of the month.

After an incredibly stable starting rotation through the end of April, the Dodgers lost Tyler Glasnow to back spasms in the first week of May, and Blake Snell succumbed to left elbow surgery a week later after only one start. Hits to the offense came in the final week. Kiké Hernández had four hits in four at-bats after missing the first 53 games of the season, but might miss that much time again after straining his oblique. Two days later, Teoscar Hernández ended his productive May with a hamstring injury that will likely sideline him for a month.

But the team started to click on all cylinders, combining a powerful offense with stingy pitching to win 14 of their last 17 games. The Dodgers started May with a half-game lead in the division, and finished the month up by 5 1/2 games in the National League West.

18-10 record
147 runs scored (5.25 per game, 4th in MLB)
84 runs allowed (3.00 per game, 2nd in MLB)
.736 pythagorean win percentage (21-7)

38-21 record
314 runs scored (5.32 per game, 2nd in MLB)
185 runs allowed (3.14 per game 1st in MLB)
.725 pythagorean win percentage (43-16)

The Dodgers dipped a bit in offense in May, relative to April, but still ranked fourth in the majors in runs scored during this month. Most of the difference came with a drop in batting average.

April: .273/.350/.452, 126 wRC+May: .252/.339/.441, 120 wRC+

Andy Pages continued his strong season by hitting .26/.319/.560 with a 142 wRC+ during May, and led the team in home runs (eight), RBI (25), runs scored (20), and stolen bases (three). Plus one very memorable sacrifice fly off fireballer Mason Miller.

Freddie Freeman found his stroke, hitting eight doubles to move into the top 30 all-time, and hit .287/.397/.532 with a 159 wRC+ in May. Teoscar Hernández was on an extra-base hit tear when he got hurt, and hit .216/.333/.446 with a 149 wRC+ during May.

Shohei Ohtani still hasn’t gone on a home run barrage — he’s at 10 home runs on the season, on pace for 27 this year after hitting 54 and 55 in his first two years in Los Angels — but he was still quite productive, hitting .289/.397/.495 with a 153 wRC+ in May.

Ohtani was also busy on the mound, and in his four May starts his ERA ballooned … to 1.08 for the month with 27 strikeouts and eight walks.

The rotation got only one start each from Glasnow and Snell in May, and was more workmanlike in May than in April, but was still quite effective. Eric Lauer made one start during the month, and it was a quality one. Outside of a bullpen game on May 15 in Anaheim, Dodgers starters averaged 5 2/3 innings per start, a bit down from 5.85 innings in April.

March/April: 5.85 IP/start, 2.83 ERA, 3.52 xERAMay: 5.67 IP/start, 3.35 ERA, 3.46 xERA

Unmentioned in the injuries above was left-hander Jack Dreyer, who missed most of the last half of May with left shoulder discomfort. But he still had enough time to pitch 8 2/3 scoreless innings, but he wasn’t alone. Kyle Hurt and Will Klein allowed one run apiece, and combined for 23 innings and 24 strikeouts. Tanner Scott had a scoreless month until blowing a save on Saturday. The bullpen, complete with its rotating cast of characters, did not allow any runs at all from May 13-24, totaling 38 (but really 40) consecutive scoreless innings, and a 1.74 ERA in 93 innings from actual relievers during the month. And the good news is that Dreyer was activated from the injured list on the final day of the month.

In June the Dodgers only play nine games at home, all of them against American League teams. Interleague play accounts for 17 of the Dodgers’ 27 games during the month, with divisional road series at Arizona to open the month and in San Diego in the last weekend of June.