Kiké, Dodgers wrap tough road trip on a high note

OAKLAND -- After a tough beginning to their road trip, the Dodgers were able to get back on track in several facets of their game this weekend in Oakland, heading back to L.A. with a series win after beating the A's, 3-2, on Sunday.

Although the Dodgers went 3-5 on the swing through Houston, San Diego and Oakland, they gained steam with back-to-back wins to wrap their final series at the Coliseum -- where they've historically struggled, as their all-time record there (9-21) is second worst to Fenway Park in terms of ballparks where they've played at least 20 games since 1901.

With their lead in the NL West down to 4 1/2 games over the Padres, the Dodgers needed to take care of business. The last-place A's entered the series as one of the hottest teams over the past month, so handing them their first series loss since before the All-Star break was no slam dunk for Los Angeles.

"We can't do anything about the other teams. We've got to worry about ourselves, and we've got to take care of those things ourselves," said Kiké Hernández, who went 8-for-28 (.286) on the road trip. "I think that winning this series after the previous five games … coming here, getting those two wins, was big time."

The Dodgers have a challenging month ahead. Each of their opponents through the end of August currently owns a winning record, and L.A. has just one off-day -- this coming Thursday -- in its next 16 games.

But reinforcements are on the way, possibly as soon as the upcoming series against the Phillies. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said star first baseman Freddie Freeman, who has been away from the team since July 26 as his son battles an illness, is likely to return at some point during the three-game set at Dodger Stadium, though the skipper did not specify a date.

Freeman's wife, Chelsea, shared the most encouraging update yet on 3-year-old Maximus' status in an Instagram post on Sunday, writing that he had been released from the hospital after spending eight days in the ICU.

Relievers Brusdar Graterol and Michael Grove could also return during the next homestand, while right-hander Walker Buehler is expected to slot back into the rotation after making one more rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City. And superstar Mookie Betts is expected back around Aug. 12-13, with other position players not far behind.

In a matter of weeks, the Dodgers' roster should be much closer to full strength, and Roberts acknowledged that some tough decisions are ahead. He pointed to Hernández as someone who's rising to the occasion in that regard.

"I think that he's playing his best baseball that he's played in a while, on both sides of the ball," Roberts said. "That's because, No. 1, he's playing good baseball, but I also feel that he's smart enough to realize that there's other guys that are coming. And how do you keep getting opportunities? You perform."

Hernández had a productive series, going 2-for-4 with a two-run double in the finale -- and that's not to mention his scoreless inning on the mound in Saturday's blowout win. But it was Cavan Biggio's go-ahead RBI single in the third that sealed the deal on Sunday, with No. 4 prospect River Ryan limiting the A's to two runs in 4 2/3 innings and the bullpen holding the line from there.

Ryan has performed well through three career big league starts, but he could be the odd man out once Buehler returns. L.A. relievers combined to allow just one run in Oakland, a step forward after the group's 5.65 ERA in July ranked second worst in the NL.

"I think the most important thing is for them to feel that I still have trust in them," Roberts said. "These are my guys, and I'm going to run them out there, and I just can't run from bumps in the road."

The bullpen, too, will be shuffled with the eventual returns of Graterol, Grove and eventually Ryan Brasier.

A little internal competition may not be a bad thing for a Dodgers club that has struggled in the absence of several star players. But the focus for those fighting for opportunities extends beyond their role on the team.

"The roster, it is what it is," Hernández said. "I'm not really thinking about that, that's out of my control. … We're going back home to play a really good team, so hopefully we can get the ball rolling."