ATLANTA — A yr in the past, Freddie Freeman ready himself for his first return to Atlanta as a visiting participant. As he performed towards the one group he had recognized as much as that time for the primary time, Freeman spent your entire weekend crying, whereas additionally reminiscing about his time with the Braves and the way it all got here to an finish.
Following that journey to Atlanta, Freeman lastly admitted that it was the closure he wanted with the intention to absolutely transfer on from his previous. And he went on to guide the National League in hits in 2022.
This time round, Freeman continues to be considering of all of the fond recollections he loved together with his household. But the journey is totally different. There have been no tears. There have been no emotional reunions with everybody within the constructing. He did, nonetheless, get pleasure from a prolonged standing ovation previous to his first plate look.
Those cheers he loved for 12 years changed into boos, although, as Freeman’s three-run homer within the fifth performed a key position within the Dodgers’ 8-6 comeback win over the Braves on Monday evening at Truist Park.
“I think even last year he came here [to Atlanta] and had some nice nights here,” stated Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts. “But man, the moment doesn’t get too big for him, and he just continues to perform.”
Freeman is on his strategy to one in every of his greatest months since becoming a member of the Dodgers final season, which is a tall job. His 3-for-5 efficiency within the sequence opener prolonged his hitting streak to 12 video games. During that span, Freeman is 22-for-48 (.458) with 4 homers and 17 RBIs.
“It was a lot more normal than last year, I can tell you that,” Freeman stated of his return to Atlanta. “But my dad wasn’t here last year, and he’s here tonight, so I really wanted to do well for him. Got the first one out of the way first at-bat, and then was able to really settle down after that.”
While Freeman’s three-run homer gave the Dodgers the lead, he was hardly the one contributor because the offense continued its current tear. J.D. Martinez had one in every of his largest video games as a Dodger, going 4-for-5 with a pair of solo house runs.
“It feels good,” Martinez stated. “You work so hard every day to try to go out there and have a good performance. It’s gratifying. But at the end of the day, it’s just one game.”
David Peralta additionally contributed with an RBI triple. Miguel Rojas continued his robust offensive stretch, chipping in with a single and a double. Overall, eight of the Dodgers’ 9 starters reached base no less than as soon as.
These offensive outbursts have been much-needed for the Dodgers given the beginning pitching points the crew has had over its final eight video games. Those struggles and accidents have compelled Los Angeles to show to its high two pitching prospects in Gavin Stone and Bobby Miller, who will make his debut on Tuesday.
On Monday, Stone allowed 5 runs over four-plus innings in his second Major League begin. But regardless of the tough line, he drew loads of reward from his teammates and Roberts due to his means to bounce again.
Stone allowed 4 of the 5 runs within the first inning, and it appeared prefer it was going to be one other early exit for a Dodgers starter. But the right-hander answered with three scoreless frames earlier than “running out of gas” within the fifth, in response to Roberts.
Following Stone, the Dodgers turned to 5 relievers, who held the Braves’ potent offense to only one run.
“[Pitching coach Mark Prior] came over after the first inning and just kind of settled me down a little bit,” Stone stated. “It helped. It helped a lot. I was able to refocus and make pitches that I wasn’t making in the first inning.”
With the Braves and Rays on the schedule, the Dodgers are dealing with one of many hardest weeks of the season. They insist that this isn’t a measuring stick, as a result of it’s early within the season. But they’ll discover out some extra issues about themselves towards the very best competitors within the Majors. They handed the primary check with flying colours.
“It’s too early to say it was like a playoff game, but when we get together, you can see the way [Braves manager Brian Snitker] managed and how I managed,” Roberts stated. “We exhausted a lot tonight, but it feels good to win this one.”
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