For most of the afternoon, Wednesday’s game played out frustratingly for the Dodgers.
The team’s lineup squandered a couple key early chances, getting just one total run from two bases-loaded opportunities in the bottom of the fourth and fifth.
Shohei Ohtani, making his 12th pitching start of the season as scheduled despite last week’s knee injury, had his worst inning of the season on the mound, with the Tampa Bay Rays batting around to score four runs in the top of the fifth.
And with a chance to sweep the Rays within their grasp, the Dodgers appeared to be on the verge of letting it slip away.
This Dodgers team, however, has more margin for error than most. They can hang around, stay within striking distance, and flip the script on a moment’s notice.
Wednesday, it turned out, would become the latest example, with Freddie Freeman keying the club’s eventual 5-4 win with a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth.
The squandered bases-loaded chances didn’t end up mattering. Nor did the season-high four earned runs Ohtani was charged with in a six-inning start.
Instead, once Freeman provided the lead with his 12th home run of the year –– a towering two-run blast against Rays right-hander Kevin Kelly on a center-cut sinker, turning a one-run deficit into a one-run lead –– the club rolled the rest of the way to a third-consecutive one-run win in this series, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth when Alex Vesia struck out Cedric Mullins.
What it means
Coming off their first series loss in more than a month to the Chicago White Sox last week, the Dodgers (48-27) bounced back in impressive fashion against the Rays (41-30).
They picked up their first series sweep since the Rockies came to town last month, and their first against a team with a winning record since a trip to the Washington Nationals back in early April.
At the 75-game mark, they continue to own the most wins in the majors.
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home delivery: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!
Who’s hot
It was only a month ago that Freeman seemed to be struggling, mired in a mid-May slump that had dropped his season batting average to .254 and OPS to .737.
As he has so often done over his 17-year career, however, Freeman didn’t panic, looked for tweaks to his swing, and trusted his process.
Ever since, he has rounded back into his perennial All-Star form.
With Wednesday’s go-ahead home run, Freeman is now batting .323 in 27 games since May 19. In that time, he has eight home runs, 14 extra-base hits, 20 RBIs and an OPS over 1.000.
It has helped raise Freeman’s season-long numbers closer to his norm (.279 average, .850 OPS) and catapulted him into the early lead for All-Star Game voting among National League first basemen, as he looks for a 10th career selection to the Midsummer Classic.
Who’s not
Will Smith is making progress from his neck injury, manager Dave Roberts said before Wednesday’s game, and has been going through on-field activities throughout the week.
However, the catcher is unlikely to be activated from the injured list when he’s eligible on Friday, dashing hopes he would only miss the minimum 10 days as he deals with inflammation in a disc.
“We’re just trying to get him to a place where he doesn’t regress with it once he comes back,” Roberts said. “So I guess he’s not out of the woods yet.”
Up next
The Dodgers will be off on Thursday, before continuing this homestand Friday by opening a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles.