Wednesday marked the third consecutive game the Los Angeles Dodgers trailed by at least five runs.
After completing a comeback against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday with an 11-9 victory, they fell short on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. However, on Wednesday they emerged victorious despite entering the seventh inning trailing 6-0 at Busch Stadium.
Although Tony Gonsolin had the worst start of his season, the Dodgers bullpen allowed just one run in the final four innings to help make the comeback a reality.
Manager Dave Roberts called it the Dodgers’ biggest win of the season and credited the entire team for stepping up to help it happen, via SportsNet LA:
“I kind of sound redundant when I say it’s the biggest win of the year. It was a big one. Wainwright was typical Wainwright, making pitches, throwing up zeros. I thought we did a great job getting him out of the game and not allowing him to finish six (innings). I know their ‘pen’s been taxed, so to get to their ‘pen was big. Tony didn’t have a good one, but for him to get through five to save our ‘pen and kind of align things, was huge. And then you look at Kimbrel taking the ball in the eighth inning to keep us in the game was really important, and obviously Evan closing it out.
“Offensively, I just can’t say enough about the guys. Chasing Wainwright, getting the pitch count up, having quality at-bats, situational hitting, the defense was solid and we got the big hit from Hanser. Max, [Tuesday] night, came up in a big spot and didn’t come through. Tonight, he had a chance to atone for it, and he did. He drove a guy in and got a guy over. Belli’s at-bats, really good. It’s really good to see 26 guys playing to win a baseball game.”
Will Smith started the Dodgers’ comeback bid by hitting a two-run home run in the seventh inning and Mookie Betts added an RBI double in the eighth. Trea Turner followed that with a two-run single.
Justin Turner led off the ninth inning with a double and Cody Bellinger then drove a base hit into right field, but pinch-runner Austin Barnes stumbled as he rounded third base, which prevented Bellinger’s hit from tying the game.
However, Max Muncy wound up getting Barnes off the hook with a sac fly to tie the game before Hanser Alberto delivered with a go-ahead RBI single.
That completed the Dodgers’ 26th comeback win of the season, which is the most in the National League. They also increased their lead in the NL West to 8.5 games and still sit three games ahead of the New York Mets for the best record in the NL.
Freddie Freeman trying to capitalize on locked-in feeling
Freddie Freeman has been a consistent presence at the plate for the Dodgers all season, which is a continuation of what he has done throughout what should wind up being a Hall of Fame career.
The 32-year-old is batting .317/.394/.517 with 12 home runs and 56 RBI while starting in every one of the Dodgers’ 87 games. But more recently, Freeman has been even better, hitting .483/.531/.828 over the last week, which includes back-to-back four-hit games and another three-hit game on Wednesday.
Freeman previously said he hasn’t done anything differently at the plate to increase his production and credits the success to just feeling good and getting into the zone.
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