Series wins in Cincinnati and Tampa, a relatively tame trade deadline for the Dodgers, Alex Freeland making his major league debut, Freddie Freeman finding his swing, and two strong starts by Yoshinobu Yamamoto
The Dodgers won the final two series of their long road trip, giving them their first winning week in a month.
Batter of the week
After a brutal two-month stretch, Freddie Freeman finally found his swing again. He wreaked havoc last week, driving in eight runs and hitting over .400. Freeman’s resurgence started after he got hit by a pitch on his wrist on July 20, with a little help from (not old friend) Chris Martin, in a way.
Pitcher of the week
When a team isn’t scoring runs, a stingy pitcher is worth their weight in gold. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been the Dodgers’ best pitcher this season and this week was no different, allowing one total run in his two starts, with 15 strikeouts.
Honorable mention goes to Clayton Kershaw, who pitched six scoreless innings on Friday night in Tampa. The six Dodgers starts this week had a collective 2.90 ERA.
Week 20 results
4-2 record
20 runs scored (3.33 per game)
15 runs allowed (2.50 per game)
.629 pythagorean win percentage
Year to date
65-47 record
576 runs scored (5.14 per game)
505 runs allowed (4.51 per game)
.558 pythagorean win percentage (63-49)
Standing: 1st place in NL West, three games up on San Diego
Miscellany
Welcome aboard: Infielder Alex Freeland got the call to the majors for the first time on Tuesday, and made his major league debut on Wednesday in Cincinnati, playing third base. Freeland singled, walked, and was hit by pitch, the 24th Dodger to reach base at least three times in their major league debut. The only other Dodger debuters to reach base three times this century are Blake DeWitt (single, two walks) in 2008, James Outman (home run, double, single) in 2022, and Dalton Rushing (two singles, walk) this May 15.
Gotta hear both sides: Freeland on Friday in Tampa got a hit batting left-handed against Shane Baz and got a hit batting right-handed against Ian Seymour. Freeland is the first Dodger in the modern era (1901-present) with hits from both sides of the plate in one of their first two games. Switch-hitters Ed Rakow (a pitcher, in 1960), Bill Sudakis (1968), Mike Ramsey (1987), and José Offerman (1990) each had multiple hits in one of their first two games, but all were from the same side of the plate in those games.
None shall pass: Saturday’s game in Tampa saw no walks by either side, just the fourth major league game this season with zero walks. Astros at Twins on April 3 was the first no-walk game this year, and the next two were both on July 6 — Pirates at Mariners and Brewers at Marlins.
Transactions
This section is always busy during trade deadline week.
Tuesday: Utility man Hyeseong Kim was placed on the injured list with left shoulder bursitis, and Alex Freeland was selected from Triple-A.
Thursday: Catcher Hunter Feduccia was sent to the Rays in a three-team trade that brought back pitcher Paul Gervase and minor league catcher Ben Rortvedt from Tampa Bay and minor league southpaw Adam Serwinowski from the Reds.
Thursday: Right-hander Brock Stewart returned to the team that drafted him, acquired from the Twins for James Outman.
Thursday: Outfielder Alex Call was acquired from the Nationals for minor league pitchers Sean Paul Liñan and Eriq Swan.
Thursday: Dustin May, the odd man out in the rotation, was traded to the Red Sox for minor league outfielders James Tibbs III and Zach Ehrhard.
Friday: Lower back pain landed Kirby Yates on the injured list, his second IL stint this season, Newcomers Stewart, Gervase, and Call were all activated.
Saturday: Blake Snell was activated off the 60-day IL, Gervase was optioned for active-roster room, and left-hander Zach Penrod was designated for assignment to make space on the 40-man.
Game results
- Monday: Dodgers 5, Reds 2
- Tuesday: Dodgers 5, Reds 4
- Wednesday: Reds 5, Dodgers 2
- Friday: Dodgers 5, Rays 0
- Saturday: Rays 4, Dodgers 0
- Sunday: Dodgers 3, Rays 0
Previous reviews: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Week 19
Up next
The Dodgers return home to run the Marc Rzepczynski gauntlet, hosting the Cardinals and Blue Jays. The weekend rotation for Toronto is a bit of a guess, but that Friday matchup would be a cool reunion 17 years later at Dodger Stadium, whether Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer are replaced by young starting pitchers or not.