Alex Freeland turned a return trip to the Dodgers’ lineup into a loud statement Sunday, going a double and a home run in a 9-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. It was just his second game back up from Oklahoma City, and he looked like a player determined to make the stay last.
The Dodgers have won 14 of their last 17 games and five straight series, and Freeland’s two-hit power surge came as the club leaned on some of its newest faces. He and Ward were among the freshest names in the lineup, a reflection of a roster that has been shuffled by injuries and forced the team to keep finding production in new places.
Freeland did not play like someone trying to blend in. After the game, he said everyone in the locker room is a superstar, a line that fit the mood around a team that keeps winning while younger players are being asked to carry more weight. The Dodgers’ 9-1 margin also left little doubt about how much the game belonged to the offense once the early innings settled.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave the Phillies no room to answer. He struck out 10 and worked 5 1/3 scoreless innings, yet still said he was frustrated with his command, even in a performance that would have satisfied almost any other starter. That contrast captured the night well: dominant results on the scoreboard, but a standard inside the clubhouse that is still higher.
The Dodgers have also been getting signs that the depth pieces are holding up under pressure. Roki Sasaki reached 100.1 mph against Kyle Schwarber on Saturday, later hit 100.4 mph against J.T. Realmuto and touched 99 mph or harder 14 times while throwing 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Alex Vesia then worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth, another reminder that the bullpen has been asked to navigate traffic and keep the winning streak moving.
Freeland’s performance came in the kind of game that can change a role quickly. With injuries continuing to reshape the roster — and Teoscar Hernández sidelined by a hamstring strain this week while Ward was in the outfield — the Dodgers keep handing at-bats to newcomers and asking them to keep pace with a team that has been described as playing its best baseball of the year. The open question is not whether Freeland can hit. It is how long the Dodgers will have room to keep him in the lineup after a night like this.
