The Dodgers are rolling into Saturday looking for a ninth straight win, and they’ll do it with Freddie Freeman back in the lineup against the Miami Marlins.
Freeman slots right back into the two-hole and gives Los Angeles this batting order:
- Tommy Edman, CF
- Freddie Freeman, 1B
- Mookie Betts, SS
- Max Muncy, 3B
- Kyle Tucker, RF
- Teoscar Hernandez, LF
- Josue De Paula, DH
- Hunter Feduccia, C
- Alex Freeland, 2B
Freeman had sat out the last two games because of a right knee issue, according to manager Dave Roberts. He received treatment, and with the travel situation, the Dodgers chose to be cautious on Friday. Now he’s back in the mix.
That return comes with a chance to get moving again at the plate. Freeman will see a right-hander in Tyler Phillips, and September has been a rough stretch so far: he’s 3-for-22 (.136) with nine strikeouts and five walks.
There’s also some fresh attention on Josue De Paula, who is still hunting for his first MLB hit as a member of the Dodgers. His at-bats in his first game turned heads, and the first knock could come any time.
Kyle Tucker is another bat worth watching. He’s starting to heat up, and Friday night offered the kind of burst Los Angeles has been waiting for.
Tucker blasted a grand slam, added a triple and a single, and finished just a double shy of the cycle. It was the sort of night Dodgers fans have been hoping to see all season, and it arrived with the playoffs getting closer.
On the mound, the Dodgers are turning to Tyler Glasnow, their fourth key starter, in hopes of knocking off some rust and putting together a strong outing. Glasnow has been mostly solid, but he still hasn’t quite gotten back to the level he showed before his injury.
Since coming off the IL, he has posted a 4.00 ERA in 18 innings, with 21 strikeouts and four walks. The biggest issue has been contact, as he’s allowed 14 hits in that span.
First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. PT, and the game will air on SportsNet LA.
In Other News...
Dodgers Quietly Made A Roster Move With Bigger Implications
The Dodgers made a quiet late-season roster move with bigger implications, shifting Eric Lauer from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list after elbow inflammation ended his year. It closes the book on a brief but uneven run for Lauer, who finished with a 5.23 ERA over 22 appearances and now heads into the offseason set to look for a new contract.
More important for Los Angeles, the transaction opened a spot on the 40-man roster for top prospect Josue De Paula, a name Dodgers fans have been tracking closely as the organization continues to juggle immediate depth with future upside. Even for a team that is always thinking several moves ahead, this was the kind of understated roster shift that hints at what may be coming next. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers May Have Found An Unexpected October Arm After All
The Dodgers spent the summer piecing together pitching depth with October in mind, and Kris Bubic has quietly become a name worth watching. Acquired despite his recent shoulder injuries and limited appearances, the left-hander has started to build a case during a minor-league rehab assignment, where he has turned in five scoreless innings and shown enough life to get into back-to-back games.
For a club that is always looking for one more usable arm when the games get tighter, the timing matters as much as the performance. Los Angeles is already adjusting its postseason plan after Shohei Ohtanis season-ending injury, and Bubics recent stretch at least opens the door to a relief role in the playoff bullpen if the Dodgers decide he is ready for that kind of October trust. [Read more 🡒]
Freddie Freemans Absence Just Raised A Bigger Dodgers Concern
Freddie Freeman sat out his second straight game with right knee soreness, and for a Dodgers team trying to keep its lineup stable, the timing is worth watching. Manager Dave Roberts said Freeman received treatment and is expected back the following day, but the bigger point is that this has not been a one-day inconvenience. It has started to show up in Freemans hitting, which makes the absence feel less like a routine maintenance day and more like something the Dodgers need to monitor closely.
Los Angeles has leaned on Freeman for middle-of-the-order consistency, so even a short stretch without him changes the look of the lineup. If the knee issue is still bothering him at the plate, the Dodgers are not just waiting for him to return to first base, they are waiting to see whether he can get back to being himself once he does. [Read more 🡒]