TAMPA, Fla. — Florida, man.
The temperature at game time Sunday was 91 degrees with a heat index – a mythical contrivance to quantify your discomfort – that made it “feel like” 107. It was a fit day for nothing more than umbrella drinks and pool floaties.
But the Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays were contractually obligated to play a game in the great outdoors of Steinbrenner Field. The Dodgers stirred from the humidity-induced lethargy long enough to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-0, taking two of three in the most uncomfortable conditions they hope to experience this year.
“I never really thought I would miss West Coast weather like I do right now,” Mookie Betts said after a six-game stretch in Cincinnati and Tampa where the game time temperature averaged 89.5 degrees (not to mention the dreaded heat index).
The last two games were day games, played in the most unpleasant hours of the day. The Dodgers went home from their three-city, nine-game, 10-day road trip sunblind and still slumping offensively but with consecutive series victories for the first time in a month.
“This is the hottest game I think I’ve ever been a part of,” said Freddie Freeman, who spent 12 summers in ‘Hot-lanta.’ “We had a Cincinnati game, had to be at least 13 years ago, 4 o’clock start, I think it was in August. I think this one beats it. When you talk about coming up in the minor leagues, the Gulf Coast League helps weed out people as you come up in the minor leagues. This is it. This is as hot as it can get, but we got the win.”
They did it with their second shutout in the three-game series. Clayton Kershaw and Justin Wrobleski blanked the Rays Friday. Sunday’s starter, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, went about his business, unburdened by offensive support once again. The Dodgers scored just once during his 5⅔ innings and have scored a total of 39 runs while Yamamoto has been in the game during his 22 starts this season.
Changing jerseys frequently – for which he thanked his interpreter, Hiro Sonoda – Yamamoto held the Rays to five hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out six before handing the shutout over to the bullpen in the sixth inning.
“He’s been invaluable for our club, and we haven’t certainly given him enough run support,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “But nothing like that fazes him, and he just focuses on his job and continuing to give us a chance to win. So that’s why he’s one of the better pitchers in baseball, in the National League. Just the consistency of his performance. We’ve needed it.”
The Dodgers gave him a lead before he headed to the air-conditioned clubhouse in the sixth inning – but just barely.
Freeman led off the top of the sixth with the second of his three hits, a single. It was Freeman’s third multi-hit game in the series. Over his past 12 games, he has gone 19 for 48 (.396) with three doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs.
“It’s great to get Freddie back to being who he is, getting on base, taking walks, hitting doubles,” Roberts said.
He moved to second when Michael Conforto drew a walk, then was loping around third on Andy Pages’ single to left field when third-base coach Dino Ebel waved him home. It was an aggressive send and a good one. Freeman just beat the throw home to end a stretch of 18 scoreless innings by the Dodgers’ offense.
“When he sent me, I was like, ‘Oh man, I gotta make this,’” Freeman said. “Not scoring any runs yesterday, I get it. We gotta be aggressive in the fifth, sixth, seventh innings. So I get it. I’m just glad I made it. Felt like I was going into quicksand halfway to home.”
It being too hot to score more than one run at a time, they scratched out another in the seventh inning.
Back in the leadoff spot, Shohei Ohtani dribbled a ball onto the grass in front of home plate and beat it out for an infield single. He stole second. After Betts walked, the two took off on a successful double steal.
Ohtani scored on another Freeman single, but the inning died there after Will Smith bounced into a double play.
In the ninth, the Dodgers added another run after Alex Call walked, went to third on a hustling double by Ohtani, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Betts. Freeman just missed a fourth hit when left fielder Jake Mangum jumped up at the wall to catch his drive.
Betts’ sacrifice fly came on the 10th pitch of the encounter with newly-acquired Rays reliever Griffin Jax, a positive contribution from Betts who is hitless in his past 17 at-bats.
“Yeah it’s encouraging. But every time I’ve gotten encouraged, I’ve got an 0-for-15 after,” said Betts, whose average for the season has dropped to .233.
Betts’ malaise might be the deepest. But with their meager offensive output in Tampa, the Dodgers have averaged just 3.7 runs per game over their past 27.
“There’s some positive things,” Freeman said. “Shohei getting on base, stealing some bases. Getting guys on. Alex Call making a walk, getting things started. So there’s a lot of good things that happened today.
“As much as we want to hit home runs every time, score 10 runs, got to win games like this, and it’s a good sign for us.”
Picking up from Yamamoto, Alex Vesia and Brock Stewart (in his Dodgers’ re-debut) carried the shutout into the ninth inning. In his third appearance since returning from the injured list, Blake Treinen struggled with his command. He walked two and gave up a hit to load the bases with two outs before Ben Casparius came in and got Yandy Diaz on a ground out.
“Blake’s still trying to find his way. So it’s only his third outing, something like that, so he’ll be fine,” Roberts said.
“We’ve thrown him into the fire. … It is certainly location, command. There’s been some uncharacteristic walks. Balls in play. But again, he’s going to find his way, and he’ll be just fine.”