Season standings Record vs. opponents Game log April The Dodgers began their season on April 13 at
Dodger Stadium.
Orlando Hudson hit for the cycle with an
infield single in the first inning, a
home run in the third, a
double in the fourth, and a
triple in the sixth. He was the first Dodger to hit for the cycle since
Wes Parker in 1970. Hudson became the first Dodger to hit for the cycle at Dodger Stadium, and did it in front of a record crowd of 57,099.
May A strong start to the season resulted in a record of 13–0 at home, beating the previous club record (9–0) held by the
1946 team, the previous
National League record (10–0) held by the
1918 Giants, the
1970 Cubs, and the
1983 Braves, and the previous
Major League record (12–0) held by the
1911 Tigers. On May 7, MLB announced a 50-game suspension for
Manny Ramirez as a result of his testing positive for a banned substance under the collective bargaining agreement. A game against the
Colorado Rockies on May 25th at
Coors Field saw the Dodgers score seven runs in the fourth inning and eight runs in the seventh to key a 16–6 rout of the Rockies.
June The month opened with a loss to the
Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers had five
wild pitches: three by
Cory Wade in the seventh inning and two by
Brent Leach in the eighth. This set a record for most wild pitches in a single game in club history and tied a franchise record set in
1918. On June 5 and 6,
Andre Ethier provided a walk-off game-winning hit on each day to defeat the
Philadelphia Phillies. Ethier hit a 2-run double in the bottom of the 9th inning on June 5 to give the Dodgers a 4–3 win, and then hit a solo home run in the 12th inning on June 6 to give the Dodgers a 3–2 victory.
Jeff Weaver started for the Dodgers against the
Los Angeles Angels on June 20th. The opposing starter was his younger brother
Jered Weaver. This was the first pitching matchup between brothers since 2002 when
Andy and
Alan Benes matched up and only the 15th such game since 1967. The Dodgers won 6–4.
July On July 10,
Manny Ramirez hit a two-run homer in the top of the sixth against the
Milwaukee Brewers. This home run tied
Mickey Mantle for 15th place on the
all-time home run list with 536 career home runs. He hit his 537th on July 20 against the
Cincinnati Reds to pass Mantle. Two days later, Ramirez hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning also against the Reds. This was his 21st career grand slam (2nd all-time behind
Lou Gehrig) and first career pinch hit homer. The home run came on "Manny Ramirez
Bobblehead night" at the Stadium. The Dodgers did not lose three games in a row until a loss to the
St. Louis Cardinals on July 28. They were the last team in the 2009 season to lose three games in a row. This was the deepest into the season a Major League Baseball team had gone without losing three straight since the
2001 Seattle Mariners, who lost their third straight on September 22. The team suffered a blowout 10–0 loss to the
St. Louis Cardinals on July 28th. Utility infielder
Mark Loretta pitched one-third of an inning in the bottom of the eighth for the Dodgers, hitting the first batter and inducing the second batter to fly out. Loretta had pitched an inning of relief in 2001 for the
Milwaukee Brewers, and was the first Dodger position player to pitch since
Robin Ventura in 2004.
August On August 4, the Dodgers beat the
Milwaukee Brewers 17–4 at Dodger Stadium. The 17 runs scored was the highest run total by the Dodgers in a home game since they also scored 17 on May 25, 1979, against the
Cincinnati Reds. With two outs in the ninth inning, relief pitcher
Guillermo Mota hit Brewers first baseman
Prince Fielder with a pitch (apparently in retaliation for
Chris Smith hitting
Manny Ramirez a few innings earlier). Mota was ejected from the game. After the game, Fielder attempted to gain entry into the Dodgers clubhouse to confront Mota but was stopped by security guards. Both Mota and Fielder were fined by Major League Baseball for their actions. In a road game against the
Arizona Diamondbacks on August 15, Dodgers pitcher
Hiroki Kuroda was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of
Rusty Ryal. After leaving the game, he was diagnosed with a concussion and stayed in the hospital overnight. Five days later,
Russell Martin hit a grand-slam home run in the sixth inning to break open a 2–2 tie and lead the Dodgers to a 7–2 victory over the
Chicago Cubs. It was the fourth home run for Martin in the 2009 season and his second career grand slam. On August 21,
Randy Wolf,
George Sherrill, and
Jonathan Broxton combined to one-hit the
Chicago Cubs and beat them 2–1. Wolf hit a double in the second inning to score the Dodgers' only two runs.
September On September 5,
Randy Wolf picked up his 100th career win, in a 7–4 victory over the
San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Soon after on September 8, the Dodgers tied a franchise record by hitting into five double plays in a road game against the
Arizona Diamondbacks.
Russell Martin (second inning),
Rafael Furcal (third inning),
James Loney (fourth inning),
Matt Kemp (sixth inning) and
Ronnie Belliard (seventh inning) all hit into double plays in the game. The Dodgers came from behind to win the game 5–4. On September 26, the Dodgers came from behind to beat the
Pittsburgh Pirates 8–4 at Pittsburgh. The victory clinched a playoff spot for the Dodgers, their third in four seasons. The last time the Dodgers made the playoffs three times in four years was 1963–66.
October On October 3, the Dodgers broke open a scoreless game against the
Colorado Rockies with a five-run seventh inning and held on for the 5–0 victory that clinched their second straight National League West championship. It was the first time the Dodgers won back-to-back division pennants since 1977–78. ==Opening Day starters==