# 2006 Los Angeles Dodgers season

The 2006 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 117th season for the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB), their 49th season in Los Angeles, California, and their 44th season playing their home games at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles California.
The Dodgers looked to improve their record from 2005. The team switched General Managers from Paul DePodesta to Ned Colletti, and hired Grady Little as the new manager. This was also their first season to be broadcast on KCAL-TV (9). The Dodgers won 88 games and the National League wild card. In the NLDS the Dodgers dropped three straight games to the New York Mets, ending their season. This was the last time the Dodgers were swept in the postseason until 2023.

## Offseason

* December 13, 2005: Acquired Andre Ethier from the Oakland Athletics for Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez.
* December 19, 2005: Signed free agent Nomar Garciaparra.
* January 4, 2006: Acquired Jae Seo and Tim Hamulack from the New York Mets for Duaner Sánchez and Steve Schmoll.
* January 14, 2006: Acquired Danys Báez and Lance Carter from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Edwin Jackson and Chuck Tiffany.

## Regular season
### Season standings
#### National League West

vteNL West :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| San Diego Padres | 88 | 74 | .543 | — | 43‍–‍38 | 45‍–‍36 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 88 | 74 | .543 | — | 49‍–‍32 | 39‍–‍42 |
| San Francisco Giants | 76 | 85 | .472 | 11½ | 43‍–‍38 | 33‍–‍47 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | 76 | 86 | .469 | 12 | 39‍–‍42 | 37‍–‍44 |
| Colorado Rockies | 76 | 86 | .469 | 12 | 44‍–‍37 | 32‍–‍49 |

#### Record vs. opponents

2006 National League recordvte Source: :
| Team | AZ | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MIL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | WSH | AL |
| Arizona | — | 6–1 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 12–7 | 2–4 | 4–5 | 8–10 | 3–3 | 1–6 | 1–5 | 5–1 | 9–10 | 8–11 | 4–3 | 1–5 | 4–11 |
| Atlanta | 1–6 | — | 6–1 | 4–3 | 3–3 | 11–8 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 7–11 | 7–11 | 3–3 | 7–2 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 10–8 | 5–10 |
| Chicago | 2–4 | 1–6 | — | 10–9 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 7–8 | 4–2 | 8–8 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 6–9 | 0–7 | 2–4 | 11–8 | 2–4 | 4–11 |
| Cincinnati | 2–4 | 3–4 | 9–10 | — | 5–1 | 4–2 | 10–5 | 0–6 | 9–10 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 9–7 | 2–4 | 2–5 | 9–6 | 5–1 | 6-9 |
| Colorado | 7–12 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 1–5 | — | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–15 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 10–9 | 10–8 | 2–7 | 8–0 | 11–4 |
| Florida | 4–2 | 8–11 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 3–3 | — | 3–4 | 1–5 | 7–0 | 8–11 | 6–13 | 5–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 11–7 | 9–9 |
| Houston | 5–4 | 4–3 | 8–7 | 5–10 | 2–4 | 4-3 | — | 3–3 | 10–5 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 13–3 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 9–7 | 4–4 | 7–11 |
| Los Angeles | 10–8 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 6–0 | 15–4 | 5–1 | 3–3 | — | 4–2 | 3–4 | 4–3 | 6–4 | 5–13 | 13–6 | 0–7 | 4–2 | 5–10 |
| Milwaukee | 3–3 | 4–2 | 8–8 | 10–9 | 4–2 | 0–7 | 5–10 | 2–4 | — | 3–3 | 5–1 | 7–9 | 4–3 | 6–3 | 7–9 | 1–5 | 6–9 |
| New York | 6–1 | 11–7 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 5–1 | 11–8 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 3–3 | — | 11–8 | 5–4 | 5–2 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 12–6 | 6–9 |
| Philadelphia | 5-1 | 11–7 | 5–2 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 13–6 | 4–2 | 3–4 | 1–5 | 8–11 | — | 3–3 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 9–10 | 5–13 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–5 | 3–3 | 9–6 | 7–9 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 3–13 | 4–6 | 9–7 | 4–5 | 3–3 | — | 1–5 | 6–1 | 6–9 | 3–3 | 3–12 |
| San Diego | 10–9 | 2–7 | 7–0 | 4–2 | 9–10 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 13–5 | 3–4 | 2–5 | 4–2 | 5–1 | — | 7–12 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 7–8 |
| San Francisco | 11–8 | 4–3 | 4–2 | 5–2 | 8–10 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 6–13 | 3–6 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 1–6 | 12–7 | — | 1–4 | 1–5 | 8–7 |
| St. Louis | 3–4 | 2–4 | 8–11 | 6–9 | 7–2 | 5-1 | 7–9 | 7–0 | 9–7 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 9–6 | 2–4 | 4–1 | — | 4–3 | 5–10 |
| Washington | 5–1 | 8–10 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 0–8 | 7-11 | 4–4 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 6–12 | 10–9 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 5–1 | 3–4 | — | 7–11 |

## Game log

Legend :
| | Dodgers win |
| | Dodgers loss |
| | Postponement |
| Bold | Dodgers team member |
2006 Game Log :
April (12-13)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
1April 3Atlanta Braves11-10Villarreal (1-0)Lowe (0-1)Reitsma (1)56,0000-1
2April 4Atlanta Braves4-5Penny (1-0)Smoltz (0-1)Báez (1)36,2491-1
3April 5Atlanta Braves9-8Villarreal (2-0)Osoria (0-1)Reitsma (2)35,2921-2
4April 7@ Philadelphia Phillies5-3Tomko (1-0)Floyd (0-1)Báez (2)25,5182-2
--April 8@ Philadelphia Phillies3:05pmPPD, RAIN; rescheduled for April 9
5April 9@ Philadelphia Phillies3-6Gordon (1-1)Hamulack (0-1)None–2-3
6April 9@ Philadelphia Phillies6-2Penny (2-0)Lieber (0-2)None38,0563-3
7April 10@ Pittsburgh Pirates8-3Pérez (1-0)Duke (0-1)None39,1294-3
8April 11@ Pittsburgh Pirates6-7Torres (1-1)Carter (0-1)Gonzalez (1)17,2404-4
9April 12@ Pittsburgh Pirates5-9Torres (2-1)Kuo (0-1)None13,2374-5
10April 13@ Pittsburgh Pirates13-5Lowe (1-1)Pérez (0-2)None18,1345-5
11April 14San Francisco Giants2-1WrightKuo (0-2)Worrell (4)45,9405-6
12April 15San Francisco Giants1-3Pérez (2-0)Schmidt (0-2)Báez (3)55,1326-6
13April 16San Francisco Giants2-0Hennessey (1-0)Seo (0-1)Worrell (5)47,0246-7
14April 17Chicago Cubs4-1Maddux (3-0)Tomko (1-1)Dempster (3)33,5516-8
15April 18Chicago Cubs1-2Saito (1-0)Ohman (1-1)None37,3407-8
16April 19Chicago Cubs5-4Williamson (2-0)Báez (0-1)Dempster (4)41,2887-9
17April 21Arizona Diamondbacks3-6Pérez (3-0)Hernandez (1-3)Daez (4)44,2948-9
18April 22Arizona Diamondbacks5-4Batista (2-0)Seo (0-2)Valverde (3)51,8788-10
19April 23Arizona Diamondbacks4-6Tomko (2-1)Ortiz (0-3)Báez (5)48,3949-10
20April 24@ Houston Astros6-2Saito (2-0)Lidge (0-1)Báez (6)28,38210-10
21April 25@ Houston Astros3-4 (14)Astacio (2-0)Kuo (0-3)None30,45110-11
22April 26@ Houston Astros5-8Rodríguez (4-0)Pérez (3-1)None32,87410-12
23April 28@ San Diego Padres3-0Seo (1-2)Young (2-2)Báez (7)36,43511-12
24April 29@ San Diego Padres4-2Tomko (3-1)Hensley (1-2)Báez (8)44,33712-12
25April 30@ San Diego Padres5-6 (10)Linebrink (2-2)Hamulack (0-2)None38,11612-13 :
May (18-10)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
26May 1@ Arizona Diamondbacks2-3Vargas (3-1)Penny (2-1)Valverde (6)20,10012-14
27May 2@ Arizona Diamondbacks8-10Vizcaino (1-2)Saito (2-1)Valverde (7)23,21612-15
28May 3San Diego Padres11-5Cassidy (1-0)Osoria (0-2)None33,35212-16
29May 4San Diego Padres3-0Embree (1-0)Saito (2-2)Hoffman (5)34,13712-17
30May 5Milwaukee Brewers3-4Báez (1-1)Wise (2-2)None47,73113-17
31May 6Milwaukee Brewers4-5Báez (2-1)Demaria (0-1)None46,08714-17
32May 7Milwaukee Brewers2-10Sele (1-0)Bush (2-4)None53,52815-17
33May 9Houston Astros7-12Saito (3-2)Wheeler (0-2)None55,99216-17
34May 10Houston Astros6-9Tomko (4-1)Buchholz (2-2)None33,59517-17
35May 11Houston Astros4-2Rodríguez (5-1)Lowe (1-2)Wheeler (1)37,13317-18
36May 12@ San Francisco Giants6-1Penny (3-1)Morris (2-4)None42,88518-18
37May 13@ San Francisco Giants5-6Benítez (2-0)Báez (2-2)None42,86418-19
38May 14@ San Francisco Giants6-3Pérez (4-1)Kline (1-1)Beimel (1)42,98519-19
39May 15@ Colorado Rockies5-4Tomko (5-1)Ramírez (2-1)Saito (1)20,20820-19
40May 16@ Colorado Rockies1-5Kim (2-1)Lowe (1-3)None23,19220-20
41May 17@ Colorado Rockies3-2Penny (4-1)Jennings (2-4)Báez (9)30,29621-20
42May 19Los Angeles Angels3-16Sele (2-0)Weaver (1-7)None55,65522-20
43May 20Los Angeles Angels4-8Beimel (1-0)Shields (1-3)None55,58723-20
44May 21Los Angeles Angels0-7Lowe (2-3)Santana (4-2)None55,66224-20
45May 22Colorado Rockies1-6Seo (2-2)Kim (2-2)None33,65225-20
46May 23Colorado Rockies1-8Penny (5-1)Jennings (2-5)None40,22826-20
47May 24Colorado Rockies1-7Sele (3-0)Cook (5-4)None39,29927-20
48May 26@ Washington Nationals4-10Hernández (3-5)Tomko (5-2)None22,71227-21
49May 27@ Washington Nationals3-1Lowe (3-3)Stanton (1-5)Saito (2)26,86728-21
50May 28@ Washington Nationals4-10Ortiz (3-4)Seo (2-3)None30,34828-22
51May 29@ Atlanta Braves12-5Beimel (2-0)Thomson (2-4)None41,82529-22
52May 30@ Atlanta Braves8-3Báez (3-2)Remlinger (2-3)None29,51730-22
53May 31@ Atlanta Braves3-9Hudson (5-3)Tomko (5-3)None28,88030-23 :
June (11-15)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
54June 1Philadelphia Phillies2-7Lowe (4-3)Floyd (4-3)None38,64331-23
55June 2Philadelphia Phillies8-6Geary (2-0)Báez (3-3)Gordon (16)55,14231-24
56June 3Philadelphia Phillies2-8Penny (6-1)Brito (0-1)None46,56132-24
57June 4Philadelphia Phillies6-4Geary (3-0)Beimel (2-1)Gordon (17)48,27032-25
58June 5New York Mets4-1Soler (1-1)Tomko (5-4)Bradford (1)34,42032-26
59June 6New York Mets5-8Lowe (5-3)Martínez (5-2)Gagné (1)46,34733-26
60June 7New York Mets9-7Glavine (9-2)Pérez (4-2)Wagner (12)44,32033-27
61June 9@ Colorado Rockies3-0Penny (7-1)Kim (3-4)Saito (3)30,45534-27
62June 10@ Colorado Rockies9-12Jennings (4-6)Tomko (5-5)Fuentes (13)35,55734-28
63June 11@ Colorado Rockies6-5Báez (4-3)Fuentes (1-1)Saito (4)29,22135-28
64June 13@ San Diego Padres1-9Park (4-3)Sele (3-1)None30,37135-29
65June 14@ San Diego Padres3-5Linebrink (3-2)Kuo (0-4)Hoffman (15)30,01135-30
66June 15@ San Diego Padres7-3Broxton (1-0)Sikorski (0-1)None33,38236-30
67June 16@ Oakland Athletics3-7Zito (8-3)Tomko (5-6)None30,16136-31
68June 17@ Oakland Athletics4-5 (17)Karsay (1-0)Seo (2-4)None35,07736-32
69June 18@ Oakland Athletics2-5Blanton (7-6)Sele (3-2)Street (17)35,07736-33
70June 20Seattle Mariners9-4Piñeiro (6-7)Penny (7-2)Soriano (2)43,94936-34
71June 21Seattle Mariners8-5Mateo (4-0)Báez (4-4)Putz (12)40,41936-35
72June 22Seattle Mariners2-4Lowe (6-3)Hernández (7-7)None46,20737-35
73June 23Pittsburgh Pirates4-10Tomko (6-6)Pérez (2-10)None55,82338-35
74June 24Pittsburgh Pirates0-7Sele (4-2)Duke (5-7)None47,78539-35
75June 25Pittsburgh Pirates4-7Penny (8-2)Wells (0-2)Saito (5)55,54540-35
76June 26@ Minnesota Twins2-8Silva (4-8)Billingsley (0-1)None22,52840-36
77June 27@ Minnesota Twins2-9Liriano (8-1)Lowe (6-4)None30,68140-37
78June 28@ Minnesota Twins3-6Santana (9-4)Pérez (4-3)Nathan (13)34,15740-38
79June 30@ Los Angeles Angels6-1Penny (9-2)Colon (0-4)None44,23341-38 :
July (9-17)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
80July 1@ Los Angeles Angels2-9Escobar (6-9)Hendrickson (4-9)None43,89141-39
81July 2@ Los Angeles Angels0-4Lackey (6-5)Billingsley (0-2)None44,22341-40
82July 3Arizona Diamondbacks4-10Lowe (7-4)Cruz (3-4)None47,69842-40
83July 4Arizona Diamondbacks3-11Sele (5-2)Gonzalez (2-2)None55,81643-40
84July 5Arizona Diamondbacks4-5Penny (10-2)Vargas (7-5)Saito (6)38,50544-40
85July 6San Francisco Giants5-4Hennessey (4-1)Hendrickson (4-10)Benítez (9)42,51544-41
86July 7San Francisco Giants7-9Báez (5-4)Accardo (1-3)Saito (7)53,99145-41
87July 8San Francisco Giants11-7Lowry (4-5)Lowe (7-5)Benítez (10)46,49645-42
88July 9San Francisco Giants1-3Sele (6-2)Schmidt (6-5)Saito (8)41,84946-42
89July 13@ St. Louis Cardinals2-3 (14)Looper (5-1)Pérez (4-4)None45,15646-43
90July 14@ St. Louis Cardinals0-5Carpenter (8-4)Lowe (7-6)None45,70446-44
91July 15@ St. Louis Cardinals1-2 (10)Looper (6-1)Báez (5-5)None46,06846-45
92July 16@ St. Louis Cardinals3-11Reyes (2-3)Penny (10-3)None44,74146-46
93July 17@ Arizona Diamondbacks3-8González (3-2)Sele (6-3)None23,51346-47
94July 18@ Arizona Diamondbacks4-1Billingsley (1-2)Cruz (3-5)None27,47847-47
95July 19@ Arizona Diamondbacks0-8Batista (9-5)Lowe (7-7)None23,61647-48
96July 20@ Arizona Diamondbacks2-5Webb (11-3)Hendrickson (4-11)Julio (11)25,32947-49
97July 21St. Louis Cardinals2-0Suppan (7-5)Penny (10-4)Isringhausen (27)47,98747-50
98July 22St. Louis Cardinals6-1Weaver (4-11)Sele (6-4)None50,43847-51
99July 23St. Louis Cardinals6-1Marquis (12-7)Billingsley (1-3)None43,65047-52
100July 24San Diego Padres7-6 (11)Brocail (1-0)Carrara (0-1)Hoffman (27)38,05047-53
101July 25San Diego Padres7-3Park (7-6)Hendrickson (4-12)None51,33447-54
102July 26San Diego Padres10-3Peavy (5-10)Penny (10-5)None44,18147-55
103July 28Washington Nationals1-13Billingsley (2-3)Armas (7-6)None55,82548-55
104July 29Washington Nationals5-7Lowe (8-7)O'Connor (3-7)Broxton (1)41,54049-55
105July 30Washington Nationals3-4Broxton (2-0)Rauch (3-2)Saito (9)43,34650-55 :
August (21-7)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
106August 1@ Cincinnati Reds10-4Sele (7-4)Bray (2-2)None25,12751-55
107August 2@ Cincinnati Reds5-3Penny (11-5)Saito (10)22,11452-55
108August 3@ Cincinnati Reds3-0Maddux (10-11)Milton (7-7)Saito (11)26,04553-55
109August 4@ Florida Marlins6-2Lowe (9-7)Sánchez (4-2)None15,41654-55
110August 5@ Florida Marlins10-2Billingsley (3-3)Johnson (9-6)None17,86355-55
111August 6@ Florida Marlins7-3Hendrickson (5-12)Olsen (9-5)None14,18256-55
112August 7Colorado Rockies2-7Penny (12-5)Fogg (7-7)None44,59357-55
113August 8Colorado Rockies2-4Tomko (7-6)Kim (7-7)Saito (12)50,21058-55
114August 9Colorado Rockies3-1Affeldt (6-6)Lowe (9-8)Fuentes (23)46,64358-56
115August 10Colorado Rockies3-4Saito (4-2)Mesa (0-5)None48,69959-56
116August 11San Francisco Giants2-3Tomko (8-6)Stanton (3-6)Broxton (2)53,69560-56
117August 12San Francisco Giants5-6Penny (13-5)Cain (8-9)Saito (13)46,44461-56
118August 13San Francisco Giants0-1 (10)Saito (5-2)Chulk (1-1)None55,69962-56
119August 14Florida Marlins2-4Lowe (10-8)Willis (7-10)Giovanni Carrara (1)44,74963-56
120August 15Florida Marlins0-4Billingsley (4-3)Messenger (1-7)None47,96064-56
121August 16Florida Marlins15-4Johnson (11-6)Hendrickson (5-13)None38,18564-57
122August 18@ San Francisco Giants3-7Schmidt (10-7)Penny (13-6)None42,86264-58
123August 19@ San Francisco Giants14-7Maddux (11-11)Hennessey (5-3)None42,83365-58
124August 20@ San Francisco Giants5-2Lowe (11-8)Morris (8-11)Saito (14)42,05266-58
125August 21@ San Diego Padres2-4Stauffer (1-0)Dessens (5-8)Hoffman (32)33,24466-59
126August 22@ San Diego Padres0-1Peavy (7-12)Hendrickson (5-14)Hoffman (33)32,77466-60
127August 23@ San Diego Padres2-7Williams (7-4)Penny (13-7)None36,61366-61
128August 25@ Arizona Diamondbacks7-9 (15)Lyon (2-3)Sele (7-5)None26,29366-62
129August 26@ Arizona Diamondbacks4-3Broxton (3-0)Vizcaíno (3-4)Saito (15)40,38867-62
130August 27@ Arizona Diamondbacks6-3Billingsley (5-3)Hernández (10-11)Saito (16)30,35068-62
131August 28Cincinnati Reds5-6Penny (14-7)Michalak (1-2)Broxton (3)44,17669-62
132August 29Cincinnati Reds5-6 (16)Lowe (12-8)Franklin (5-7)None44,69770-62
133August 30Cincinnati Reds3-7Maddux (12-11)Harang (13-10)None47,35671-62 :
September (16-12)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
134September 1Colorado Rockies3-6Lowe (13-8)Jennings (7-12)Saito (17)49,60172-62
135September 2Colorado Rockies5-14Penny (15-7)Cook (9-13)None48,98473-62
136September 3Colorado Rockies12-5Kim (8-10)Sele (7-6)None44,89573-63
137September 4@ Milwaukee Brewers3-6Bush (10-10)Maddux (12-12)Cordero (17)33,64573-64
138September 5@ Milwaukee Brewers0-9Davis (10-9)Hendrickson (5-15)None13,42773-65
139September 6@ Milwaukee Brewers2-1Lowe (14-8)Capuano (11-10)Saito (18)25,10674-65
140September 7@ New York Mets0-7Glavine (13-6)Penny (15-8)None48,58374-66
141September 8@ New York Mets5-0Kuo (1-4)Maine (5-4)None52,07775-66
142September 9@ New York Mets2-3Hernández (10-10)Maddux (12-13)Wagner (36)47,06475-67
143September 10@ New York Mets9-1Stults (1-0)Trachsel (14-7)None48,76076-67
144September 12@ Chicago Cubs8-9 (11)Aardsman (2-0)Hamulack (0-3)None35,61876-68
145September 13@ Chicago Cubs6-0Penny (16-8)Guzman (0-6)None35,86877-68
146September 14@ Chicago Cubs5-6Eyre (1-2)Tomko (8-7)Howry (5)31,36177-69
147September 15San Diego Padres1-3Maddux (13-13)Wells (2-4)Saito (19)52,91178-69
148September 16San Diego Padres11-2Williams (9-5)Billingsley (5-4)Sweeney (2)55,78178-70
149September 17San Diego Padres1-2Linebrink (7-3)Broxton (3-1)Hoffman (39)54,60178-71
150September 18San Diego Padres11-10 (10)Sele (8-6)Seánez (3-3)None55,83179-71
151September 19Pittsburgh Pirates10-6Snell (8-6)Kuo (1-5)None43,73479-72
152September 20Pittsburgh Pirates6-4Chacón (7-6)Maddux (13-14)Torres (10)46,31979-73
153September 21Pittsburgh Pirates2-5Billingsley (6-4)Youman (0-2)Saito (20)48,56780-73
154September 22Arizona Diamondbacks0-2Lowe (15-8)Vargas (11-10)Saito (21)43,99081-73
155September 23Arizona Diamondbacks9-3Batista (11-7)Penny (16-9)None49,79181-74
156September 24Arizona Diamondbacks1-5Saito (6-2)Vizcaino (4-6)None49,82282-74
157September 26@ Colorado Rockies11-4Maddux (14-14)Jennings (9-13)None20,13383-74
158September 27@ Colorado Rockies6-4Lowe (16-8)Cook (9-15)Saito (22)18,85884-74
159September 28@ Colorado Rockies19-11Hendrickson (6-15)King (1-4)None21,15485-74
160September 29@ San Francisco Giants4-3Broxton (4-1)Stanton (7-7)Saito (23)42,58786-74
161September 30@ San Francisco Giants4-2Maddux (15-14)Cain (13-12)Saito (24)42,76987-74 :
October (1-0)
#DateOpponentScoreWinLossSaveAttendanceRecord
162October 1@ San Francisco Giants4-3Billingsley (7-4)Hennessey (5-6)Beimel (2)42,83188-74 :

### Season summary

After a season battling injuries to team leaders Jeff Kent and all-star Nomar Garciaparra, the Dodgers were able to produce with several young rookies such as Russell Martin, Andre Ethier, James Loney, Chad Billingsley, and Jonathan Broxton. Key reliever Yhency Brazobán was sidelined with Tommy John surgery, and closer Éric Gagné was sidelined with a back injury. However, rookie pitcher Takashi Saito took over the closing role and instantly became one of the game's best closers, ending the season with 24 saves in just half of the season.
Los Angeles had a very streaky season in 2006. After they started just 12–17, the Dodgers went on to win 15 of their next 18 games to improve to 27-20. They were 46-42 at the all-star break, two games back of the San Diego Padres in a tough division (all five teams in the N.L. West were .500 or better at the all-star break). Two Dodger players, Nomar Garciaparra, and Brad Penny, were selected to play in the All-Star Game.
After the all-star break, the Dodgers lost 13 of their first 14 games. As a result, their record dropped to 47–55, and they were in last place in the N.L. West, 7½ games out of first place. Los Angeles bounded back from this losing streak to win 17 out of their next 18 games, the first time the Dodgers did so since 1899. At the end of this winning stretch, Los Angeles was in first place with a record of 64–56. During this stretch, the Dodgers acquired Wilson Betemit from the Atlanta Braves, Julio Lugo from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and pitcher Greg Maddux from the Chicago Cubs. Maddux proved to be the biggest transition for the Dodgers, as he provided the Dodgers' starting rotation with a veteran arm and pitching depth.
The highlight of the 2006 season for Los Angeles was on September 18, against the San Diego Padres. Coming into the four-game series, Los Angeles held a half game lead in the N.L. West over San Diego with two and a half weeks left in the season. Los Angeles won the first game of the series 3–1 after a strong pitching performance by Maddux, extending the Dodgers' lead to a 1½ games over San Diego. The second game of the series was an 11–2 rout in favor of San Diego, trimming the Dodgers lead back to a half game. The third game of the series was a pitchers' duel between San Diego's Chris Young and the Dodgers Derek Lowe. San Diego scored first after Russell Branyan hit a solo home run to make it 1-0. Russell Martin tied the game at 1-1 with a solo home run of his own in the 7th. But San Diego won the game 2-1 when Khalil Greene scored on Terrmel Sledge's single. San Diego's victory gave them a half game lead over the Dodgers in the N.L. West.
The last game of the series on September 18 was a rocky start for the Dodgers. Brad Penny gave up four runs in the first inning, giving San Diego a 4-0 lead. Los Angeles slowly climbed back into the game, and tied the score 4-4 in the third inning. Neither team scored again until San Diego scored two in the top of the 8th to take a 6-4 lead. The Dodgers would cut San Diego's lead to one run after Wilson Betemit drove in Marlon Anderson with an RBI single. San Diego scored three runs in the top of the 9th and appeared to have broken the game wide open with a 9-5 lead. With a four-run lead, San Diego elected to bring in Jon Adkins to pitch the 9th instead of closer Trevor Hoffman, who at the time was just three saves shy of tying the all-time record. Jeff Kent and J. D. Drew hit back-to-back home runs off of Adkins to close the lead to 9–7 with nobody out. San Diego then elected to bring Hoffman in to finish the game. Hoffman however, gave up back-to-back home runs to Martin and Anderson on the first two pitches Hoffman threw, tying the score at 9–9. It was only the fourth time a team hit four consecutive home runs in an inning, and the first time since the Minnesota Twins did so in 1964. San Diego scored a run in the top of the 10th on Josh Bard's RBI single to take a 10-9 lead. However, after Kenny Lofton walked, Nomar Garciaparra hit the game-winning two-run walk off home run. The Dodgers' 11–10 victory gave them a half game lead over San Diego with just two weeks left in the season.
San Diego and Los Angeles finished the season tied for first place in the NL West at 88–74. San Diego, however, was awarded the division title because they had won 13 of 18 games from Los Angeles during the regular season, giving the Dodgers the wild card spot.

### Opening Day lineup

Opening Day Starters :
| Name | Position |
| Rafael Furcal | Shortstop |
| José Cruz Jr. | Left fielder |
| J. D. Drew | Right fielder |
| Jeff Kent | Second baseman |
| Olmedo Sáenz | First baseman |
| Bill Mueller | Third baseman |
| Sandy Alomar Jr. | Catcher |
| Jason Repko | Center fielder |
| Derek Lowe | Starting pitcher |

### Notable transactions

* April 24, 2006: Acquired Ben Kozlowski from the Cincinnati Reds for Cody Ross.
* June 27, 2006: Acquired Mark Hendrickson, Toby Hall and cash from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Jae Seo, Dioner Navarro and Justin Ruggiano.
* July 23, 2006: Acquired B.J. LaMura from the Chicago White Sox for Sandy Alomar Jr.
* July 25, 2006: Acquired Elmer Dessens from the Kansas City Royals for Odalis Pérez, Blake Johnson, Julio Pimentel and cash.
* July 28, 2006: Acquired Wilson Betemit from the Atlanta Braves for Danys Báez, Willy Aybar and cash.
* July 31, 2006: Acquired Greg Maddux and cash from the Chicago Cubs for César Izturis.
* July 31, 2006: Acquired Julio Lugo from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza.
* August 31, 2006: Acquired Marlon Anderson from the Washington Nationals with cash for Jhonny Núñez.

### Roster
## Starting Pitchers stats

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W/L = Wins/Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts; CG = Complete games
| Name | G | GS | IP | W/L | ERA | BB | SO | CG |
| Derek Lowe | 35 | 34 | 218.0 | 16-8 | 3.63 | 55 | 123 | 1 |
| Brad Penny | 34 | 33 | 189.0 | 16-9 | 4.33 | 54 | 148 | 0 |
| Aaron Sele | 28 | 15 | 103.1 | 8-6 | 4.53 | 30 | 57 | 0 |
| Chad Billingsley | 18 | 16 | 90.0 | 7-4 | 3.80 | 58 | 59 | 0 |
| Mark Hendrickson | 18 | 12 | 75.0 | 2-7 | 4.68 | 28 | 48 | 0 |
| Greg Maddux | 12 | 12 | 73.2 | 6-3 | 3.30 | 14 | 36 | 0 |
| Jae Weong Seo | 19 | 10 | 67.0 | 2-4 | 5.78 | 25 | 49 | 0 |

## Relief Pitchers stats

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W/L = Wins/Losses; ERA = Earned run average; BB = Walks allowed; SO = Strikeouts; SV = Saves
| Name | G | GS | IP | W/L | ERA | BB | SO | SV |
| Takashi Saito | 72 | 0 | 78.1 | 6-2 | 2.07 | 23 | 107 | 24 |
| Jonathan Broxton | 68 | 0 | 76.1 | 4-1 | 2.59 | 33 | 97 | 3 |
| Joe Beimel | 62 | 0 | 70.0 | 2-1 | 2.96 | 21 | 30 | 2 |
| Danys Báez | 46 | 0 | 49.2 | 5-5 | 4.35 | 11 | 29 | 9 |
| Tim Hamulack | 33 | 0 | 34.0 | 0-3 | 6.35 | 22 | 34 | 0 |
| Brett Tomko | 44 | 15 | 112.1 | 8-7 | 4.73 | 29 | 76 | 0 |
| Hong-Chih Kuo | 28 | 5 | 59.2 | 1-5 | 4.22 | 33 | 71 | 0 |
| Odalis Pérez | 20 | 8 | 59.1 | 4-4 | 6.83 | 13 | 33 | 0 |
| Giovanni Carrara | 25 | 0 | 27.2 | 0-1 | 4.55 | 7 | 25 | 1 |
| Elmer Dessens | 19 | 0 | 23.0 | 0-1 | 4.70 | 9 | 16 | 0 |
| Eric Stults | 6 | 2 | 17.2 | 1-0 | 5.60 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| Franquelis Osoria | 12 | 0 | 17.2 | 0-2 | 7.13 | 9 | 13 | 0 |
| Lance Carter | 10 | 0 | 11.2 | 0-1 | 8.49 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Yhency Brazobán | 5 | 0 | 5.0 | 0-0 | 5.40 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Éric Gagné | 2 | 0 | 2.0 | 0-0 | 0.00 | 1 | 3 | 1 |

## Batting Stats

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; Avg. = Batting average; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
| Name | Pos | G | AB | Avg. | R | H | HR | RBI | SB |
| Russell Martin | C | 121 | 415 | .282 | 65 | 117 | 10 | 65 | 10 |
| Dioner Navarro | C | 25 | 75 | .280 | 5 | 21 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
| Sandy Alomar Jr. | C | 27 | 62 | .323 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Toby Hall | C | 21 | 57 | .368 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Einar Díaz | C | 3 | 3 | .667 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nomar Garciaparra | 1B | 122 | 469 | .303 | 82 | 142 | 20 | 93 | 3 |
| Jeff Kent | 2B/1B | 115 | 407 | .292 | 61 | 119 | 14 | 68 | 1 |
| Rafael Furcal | SS | 159 | 654 | .300 | 113 | 196 | 15 | 63 | 37 |
| Wilson Betemit | 3B | 55 | 174 | .241 | 19 | 42 | 9 | 24 | 1 |
| Olmedo Sáenz | 1B/3B | 103 | 179 | .296 | 30 | 53 | 11 | 48 | 0 |
| Ramón Martínez | 2B/3B/SS/1B/RF | 82 | 176 | .278 | 20 | 49 | 2 | 24 | 0 |
| Julio Lugo | 2B/3B/SS/RF/LF | 49 | 146 | .219 | 16 | 32 | 0 | 10 | 6 |
| Willy Aybar | 3B/2B | 43 | 128 | .250 | 15 | 32 | 3 | 22 | 1 |
| César Izturis | 3B/SS/2B | 32 | 119 | .252 | 10 | 30 | 1 | 12 | 1 |
| Bill Mueller | 3B | 32 | 107 | .252 | 12 | 27 | 3 | 15 | 1 |
| James Loney | 1B/RF | 48 | 302 | .284 | 20 | 29 | 4 | 18 | 1 |
| Óscar Robles | 2B/3B | 29 | 33 | .152 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joel Guzmán | 3B/1B/LF | 8 | 19 | .211 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Andre Ethier | LF | 126 | 396 | .308 | 50 | 122 | 11 | 55 | 5 |
| Kenny Lofton | CF | 129 | 469 | .301 | 79 | 141 | 3 | 41 | 32 |
| J. D. Drew | RF | 146 | 494 | .283 | 84 | 140 | 20 | 100 | 2 |
| José Cruz Jr. | LF/RF/CF | 86 | 223 | .233 | 34 | 52 | 5 | 17 | 5 |
| Matt Kemp | CF/LF/RF | 52 | 154 | .253 | 30 | 39 | 7 | 23 | 6 |
| Jason Repko | CF/RF/LF | 69 | 130 | .254 | 21 | 33 | 3 | 16 | 10 |
| Marlon Anderson | LF/RF/2B | 25 | 64 | .375 | 12 | 24 | 7 | 15 | 2 |
| Ricky Ledée | LF/RF | 43 | 53 | .245 | 4 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| Cody Ross | RF/LF | 8 | 14 | .500 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 1 |
| Delwyn Young | RF/LF | 8 | 5 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## 2006 National League Division Series

Upon entering the playoffs, they were swept at Shea Stadium. Reliever Joe Beimel cut his hand on glass at a bar while drinking. Beimel told his teammates, he did it in his hotel room but then later revealed the truth. Beimel was sidelined during all of the Division Series.

### Game 1, October 4

Shea Stadium, Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Los Angeles | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 1 |
| New York | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | X | 6 | 9 | 1 |
| WP: Guillermo Mota (1-0) LP: Brad Penny (0-1) Sv: Billy Wagner (1) Home runs: LAD: None NYM: Carlos Delgado (1), Cliff Floyd (1) |||||||||||||

### Game 2, October 5

Shea Stadium, Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| New York | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | X | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| WP: Tom Glavine (1-0) LP: Hong-Chih Kuo (0-1) Sv: Billy Wagner (2) Home runs: LAD: Wilson Betemit (1) NYM: None |||||||||||||

### Game 3, October 7

Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| New York | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 14 | 2 |
| Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 2 |
| WP: Pedro Feliciano (1-0) LP: Jonathan Broxton (0-1) Home runs: NYM: None LAD: Jeff Kent (1) |||||||||||||

## 2006 Awards

* 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
** Brad Penny starting pitcher
** Nomar Garciaparra reserve
* MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award
** Nomar Garciaparra
* Gold Glove Award
** Greg Maddux
* Pitcher of the Month
** Derek Lowe (August 2006)
* Branch Rickey Award
** Tommy Lasorda

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Las Vegas 51s | Pacific Coast League | Jerry Royster |
| AA | Jacksonville Suns | Southern League | John Shoemaker |
| High A | Vero Beach Dodgers | Florida State League | Luis Salazar |
| A | Columbus Catfish | South Atlantic League | Travis Barbary |
| Rookie | Ogden Raptors | Pioneer League | Lance Parrish |
| Rookie | Gulf Coast Dodgers | Gulf Coast League | Juan Bustabad |
| Rookie | DSL Dodgers | Dominican Summer League | |

## Major League Baseball Draft

The Dodgers selected 50 players in this draft. Of those, seven of them would eventually play Major League baseball. The Dodgers gained an extra first round pick and a supplemental first round pick as a result of losing pitcher Jeff Weaver to the Angels. They also lost their second and third round picks as a result of their signing free agents Rafael Furcal and Bill Mueller.
The top draft pick was left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw from Highland Park High School in University Park, Texas. Kershaw would win the 2014 NL MVP Award as well as multiple Cy Young Awards. He also pitched a no-hitter and led the league in ERA for four straight seasons.
The other first round picks were right-handed pitcher Bryan Morris from Motlow State Community College and shortstop Preston Mattingly from Central High School. Morris was part of the Dodgers 2008 trade for Manny Ramirez and eventually made it to the Majors. Mattingly, the son of All-Star first baseman and later Dodgers manager Don Mattingly never panned out. He hit just .232 in 463 minor league games over six seasons before he was eventually released.
2006 Draft Picks :
| Round | Name | Position | School | Signed | Career span | Highest level |
| 1 | Clayton Kershaw | LHP | Highland Park High School | Yes | 2006–present | MLB |
| 1 | Bryan Morris | RHP | Motlow State Community College | Yes | 2006–2017 | MLB |
| 1s | Preston Mattingly | SS | Central High School | Yes | 2006–2011 | A+ |
| 4 | Kyle Orr | 1B | Lambrick Park Secondary School | Yes | 2007–2010 | Rookie |
| 5 | Kyle Smit | RHP | Spanish Springs High School | Yes | 2006–2011 | AAA |
| 6 | Garrett White | LHP | University of Mississippi | Yes | 2006–2008 | A+ |
| 7 | Jaime Ortiz | 1B | Sam Alfonso de Ligorio | Yes | 2006–2012 | AA |
| 8 | Tommy Giles | OF | University of Miami | Yes | 2006–2011 | AA |
| 9 | Bridger Hunt | 3B | University of Central Missouri | Yes | 2006–2014 | AA |
| 10 | Andy D'Alessio | 1B | Clemson University | No Giants-2007 | 2007–2010 | AA |
| 11 | Justin Fuller | SS | Lewis–Clark State College | Yes | 2006–2010 | AAA |
| 12 | Paul Coleman | LHP | Pepperdine University | Yes | 2006–2007 | A |
| 13 | Nick Akins | SS | Los Angeles High School | Yes | 2006–2013 | A+ |
| 14 | Alex White | RHP | D. H. Conley High School | No Indians-2010 | 2010–2015 | MLB |
| 15 | Griff Erickson | C | Westview High School | Yes | 2007–2015 | AAA |
| 16 | Justin Coats | SS | Texas High School | No | | |
| 17 | Michael Rivera | 2B | University of Tennessee | Yes | 2006–2007 | AAA |
| 18 | Joseph Jones | RHP | University of Portland | Yes | 2006–2009 | A+ |
| 19 | Martin Beno | RHP | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College | No Nationals-2007 | 2007–2010 | A+ |
| 20 | Billy Bullock | RHP | Riverview High School | No Twins-2009 | 2009–2013 | AAA |
| 21 | Matt Berezay | OF | University of the Pacific | Yes | 2006–2008 | AA |
| 22 | Christopher Jensen | OF | University of California, Los Angeles | Yes | 2006 | A |
| 23 | Eric Thompson | RHP | Roseburg High School | Yes | 2007–2010 | AAA |
| 24 | John Martin | C | Emporia State University | Yes | 2006–2010 | Rookie |
| 25 | Esteban Lopez | C | University of Hawaii at Manoa | Yes | 2006–2010 | AAA |
| 26 | Kody Kaiser | 2B | University of Oklahoma | No Tigers-2007 | 2007–2011 | AA |
| 27 | Anthony Casario | C | Overbrook Senior High School | No White Sox-2009 | 2009 | Rookie |
| 28 | Taylor Lewis | RHP | Canyon del Oro High School | No Mariners-2008 | 2008–2010 | A |
| 29 | Roberto Pérez | C | Eugenio Maria De Hostos High School | No Indians-2009 | 2009–present | MLB |
| 30 | Alexander Burkard | LHP | Milton High School | No Angels-2010 | 2010–2014 | A+ |
| 31 | Jonathan Wilson | 3B | St. Charles High School | No | | |
| 32 | Jordan Kopycinski | C | St. Thomas High School | No | | |
| 33 | Curt Bradley | 2B | University of Northern Iowa | Yes | 2007 | Rookie |
| 34 | Luke Yoder | OF | Liberty High School | No Red Sox-2010 | 2010 | Rookie |
| 35 | Nick Buss | OF | San Diego Mesa College | No Dodgers-2008 | 2008–2018 | MLB |
| 36 | Robert Taylor | C | Laredo Community College | No Marlins-2008 | 2008–2010 | A+ |
| 37 | Anthony Benner | 3B | Southwestern College | No Nationals-2007 | 2007 | A- |
| 38 | Kameron Forte | C | Texas High School | No | | |
| 39 | Jake Debus | LHP | Moraine Valley Community College | No | | |
| 40 | Chris Jones | SS | Redan High School | No Indians-2007 | 2007–2016 | AAA |
| 41 | Todd McCraw | C | St. James High School | No | | |
| 42 | Joe Dispensa | OF | St. Rita High School | No | | |
| 43 | Jordan Chambless | RHP | Texas A&M University | No | | |
| 44 | Aaron Barrett | RHP | Central High School | No Nationals-2010 | 2010–2022 | MLB |
| 45 | Greg Hendrix | LHP | North Atlanta High School | No | 2011–2012 | Ind |
| 46 | Ryan Aguayo | 2B | Servite High School | No | | |
| 47 | Brett Sowers | 3B | Cherry Creek High School | No | | |
| 48 | Tanner Biagini | 3B | D. H. Conley High School | No Rays-2010 | 2010–2011 | A- |
| 49 | Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | The Woodlands High School | No Diamondbacks-2009 | 2009–present | MLB |
| 50 | Kurt Benton | RHP | West Stanley High School | No | | |