The Los Angeles Dodgers’ offense has struggled throughout May, and a key reason for that has been the drop in performance from Freddie Freeman.
However, Freeman was a key contributor behind their three-game sweep, tallying five hits in eight at-bats on Tuesday. His extra-inning home run broke the game open in the first game, leading to an easy 5-2 win.
The Dodgers are accustomed to Freeman being a steady force. However, his performance against the Mets followed a subpar 16-game stretch when he batted .241/.328/.414in 58 at-bats, leading to a check into his mechanics, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“We were trying to figure out why I was opening up too soon with my cues to hit that way (points to left field),” Freeman said. “We watched a lot of video from four, five years ago and what I was doing there and what I was doing May of last year and comparing.”
Freeman endured a tough run from May 10 through May 26, when he posted a 108 wRC+ in 67 plate appearances. Even for one of Major League Baseball’s most consistent hitters, he’s susceptible to dry spells offensively early in the season:
“I’ve always little flashes here and there throughout the first couple months, feeling good, and then the next day you feel bad,” he said. “Hopefully it’s more of a sticking thing this time.
“I don’t know. To say you’ve got anything figured out in this game, it’s just not true.”
The grind of a 162 game season is difficult, but for a player like Freeman who loves to play everyday, ruts are bound to happen.
Freeman can get out of those spots on a dime, as evidenced in his power output over a two-game stretch at Citi Field. He has also placed high expectations on himself, and he’s thankful that he’s produced at those expectations for so long, that other people expect elite results from him as well.
Freddie Freeman still ranks well among MLB hitters
In 255 plate appearances, Freeman ranks third in MLB with a 147 wRC+, highlighted by an outstanding .396 on-base percentage. He currently leads his position with 16 doubles.
His resurgent stretch against the Mets has him trending up with his batting average, that hovers north of .300 when Freeman is dialed in.
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