Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman explained his thoughts on the team’s approach at the plate during their offensive struggles in the World Series.
The Dodgers lost both Game 4 and Game 5 at Dodger Stadium, scoring just three runs over the course of the last 18 innings. In Game 5, Toronto Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage lasted seven innings, allowing just three hits during his start.
Freeman says the Dodgers need to prevent starters going deep into games in order to succeed.
“So I do think we just need to check down and have, like, almost a 0-1 mindset and just build innings, extend ’em, work counts, be who we are,” Freeman said. “We are always a team that gets starters 70 to 90 pitches by the 4th and we got to do that again and just build innings, keep putting pressure on ’em, and not have quick 1, 2, 3 innings.”
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The Dodgers have struggled in getting Blue Jays starters out of the game early, forcing a pitching change in the fifth inning or earlier just once over the course of the series. The Dodgers won the only game in which they managed this in Game 3, however it took them 18 innings to do so.
Freeman has been a key contributor for the Dodgers at the plate during the World Series, hitting a walk-off home run to end the 18-inning thriller in Game 3 and scoring the first run of the game in the Dodgers’ Game 2 win in Toronto.
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The Dodgers face Kevin Gausman in Game 6, who they dealt with properly in Game 2 of the World Series. They’ll look to bring in the Blue Jays relief arms early to earn an all-important, series-leveling win in Toronto for Game 6, which begins Friday at 5:00 p.m. PT.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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