That five-game home run streak has meant more to the Dodgers than just a fun personal record.
If you didn’t catch yesterday’s game, do yourself a favor and see if you can re-watch the bottom of the 9th. It was classic baseball, with Freddie Freeman shutting out the noise (and stress of getting behind in the count) in a masterclass of batting. In this slog of a series, every little bit of celebration is worth it.
Dodgers Notes
Shohei Ohtani has now homered in five straight games, his longest streak of games with a home run. The last Dodger to do that was Max Muncy in 2019, writes Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic.
That streak is good news, because according to Dylan Hernández at the Los Angeles Times, the Dodgers really need Ohtani to keep performing on both sides of the ball. “I think he’s very mindful of where our team is right now,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I feel he’s trying to will his way to kind of getting us over the hump.”
Matt Snyder at CBS Sports has an interesting trade proposition for the Dodgers: Lock up Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez so no one else can have him. While they don’t necessarily need a new third baseman, the Cubs, Yankees, Brewers and Tigers all do—and Suárez could be just the ticket.
Headed to Boston for the upcoming Dodgers-Red Sox series? Heads up: Hospitality employees are set to go on strike this weekend if they don’t reach a deal with food service and facilities company Aramark, reports WGBH’s Estaban Bustillos.
And here’s a little something to brighten your day: A young fan at Dodger Stadium was beyond thrilled to snag an Ohtani home run ball, showing that you’re never too old to bring your glove to the ballpark, says Sports Illustrated’s Kyle Koster.