by Megan Garcia
Three runs separated the Dodgers between a positive and upsetting road trip.
Their 3–0 win over the Rays on Sunday secured the former after they were shut out the previous day. The Dodgers went 5–4 on the nine-game road trip.
Freddie Freeman was a strong contributor to help turn the tide. He went 3-for-5 with one run batted in on Sunday at George M. Steinbrenner Field. It marked his fifth multi-hit game in his last 10 games.
He went 7-for-13 against the Rays with four RBI in the three-game series. Freeman was also robbed of a two-run home run by left fielder Jake Mangum in his final at-bat.
“It’s a start,” said manager Dave Roberts of the offense manufacturing runs with six singles and two doubles. “As far as at-bat quality, putting the ball in play, winning pitches and giving ourselves a chance (with) the bat. Obviously, Freddie had a great series.”
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On the trip, Freeman batted .375 (15-for-40) with 11 RBI. The strong performance at the plate helped his season batting average climb to .306 after 17 games below the .300 mark.
Freeman now ranks second in the National League batting average, behind Will Smith’s .324.
“As much as we want to hit home runs every time, scoring 10 runs, we’ve got to win games like this. This is a good sign for us.” Freeman said.
The Dodgers snapped out of their 18-inning run drought in the sixth with Andy Pages’ RBI. It was the first run scored they scored since the fifth inning on Friday. Mookie Betts’ sacrifice fly out in the ninth gave the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.
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Behind the offense’s use of small ball, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was strong in the Dodgers’ second shutout of the series. He threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings without issuing a walk. Four of his six strikeouts came against his splitter.
Alex Vesia, Brock Stewart, Blake Treinen and Ben Casparius combined for 3 1/3 relief innings to secure the winning road trip.
The Dodgers went 5–4 on the trip to Boston, Cincinnati and Tampa. The nine-game trip was a trend in the right direction compared to their losing trip leading into the All-Star break:
- Offense: 30 runs, .250 batting average (76–304), seven home runs, 33 walks, 95 strikeouts
- Starting pitchers: 20 earned runs, 45 1/3 innings pitched, 13 walks, 45 strikeouts
- Relief pitchers: two earned runs, 31 2/3 innings pitched, 10 walks, 35 strikeouts
In their previous trip, they went 2–4 against the Brewers and Giants between July 7 and July 13.
- Offense: 18 runs, .197batting average (41–208), four home runs, 18 walks, 65 strikeouts
- Starting pitchers: 15 earned runs, 26 1/3 innings pitched, 13 walks, 23 strikeouts
- Relief pitchers: 10 earned runs, 27 innings pitched, 11 walks, 25 strikeouts
The Dodgers hold a 3–1/2 game lead in the National League West. The Padres can move a ½ game closer if they beat the Cardinals on Sunday.
An IL stint likely for Edman
There is a possibility Tommy Edman may be placed on the injured list, according to Roberts, after he left the game in the fifth with a sprained right ankle. Roberts added that Max Muncy’s return will most likely be the corresponding move.
Edman also sprained his right ankle in 2024, which delayed his Dodger debut.
“I definitely felt a little bit worse than what I felt in Boston last week,” Edman said. “Just stepped on the base weird and put my ankle in a position it didn’t want to be in. So, we’ll figure it out tomorrow and see what happens.”
Muncy is scheduled to appear in a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday.
Freeman’s hot-hitting production secures the Dodgers a winning road trip was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.