After an inconsistent start to the 2023 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been on a roll of late, winning 12 of their last 14 games, including four in a row against the San Diego Padres.
Key to the Dodgers’ turnaround has been the elite play of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Betts is hitting .286/.367/.643 with three doubles, four home runs and 11 RBI in 11 games this month entering play Sunday, and Freeman owns a 1.069 on-base plus slugging over the same span.
“It is. That’s why they’re superstars. Every time they get up to bat, they can change the game,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts answered when asked if it is nice having two former MVP winners at the top of the lineup.
Betts and Freeman have continued their hot hitting against the Padres, putting the Dodgers in a position to complete a sweep at Dodger Stadium. Betts is 2-for-6 with a double and home run in the series, and Freeman has gone 4-for-6 with two doubles, a homer and three RBI.
Freeman did most of that damage in Friday’s series opener against a pair of left-handers in Blake Snell and Tim Hill. “It’s really impressive,” Roberts said of Freeman’s success against the southpaws.
“To line a ball to right-center, grinds, battles. And with Tim, I think that was a heater in and off (the plate). He takes a slider down below, and to take a sinker in and keep it fair to the pull side, elevated, it’s really impressive.
“Where Mookie got into a count, right-handed hitter and put a good swing on it. But what Freddie did, not many guys in baseball can do that.”
Betts’ home run off Josh Hader last weekend came with the Dodgers one out away from losing their first regular-season series to the Padres since 2021.
Dave Roberts maintained confidence in Mookie Betts & Freddie Freeman
Betts and Freeman returning to form comes after respective slow starts at the plate in which they were not performing up to standards. “I think so,” Roberts began when asked if the superstars are back at the level the Dodgers expect them to be.
“With certain guys like that, with a track record that’s lengthy, you can expect aggression to the mean. It’ll balance itself out. They’re not where they will be, so I think that’s a good thing for us.”
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