'Freddie Dance' sends LA to 24th win this month
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LOS ANGELES -- When August started, the Dodgers were focused on adding a couple of pieces to a team that was clinging to a 2 1/2-game lead in the National League West.
As August nears its end, the script has completely flipped for the Dodgers. Los Angeles improved to 24-4 this month following a 7-0 win over the D-backs on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium and now have a 14 1/2-game advantage over the Giants atop the NL West.
The 24 wins in one month is the most by the Dodgers since moving to Los Angeles, and they have a chance to match the overall franchise record on Thursday against the Braves. The .857 winning percentage this month would also be the highest in club history. With 30 games to go in the regular season, the Dodgers (83-49) are well on their way to a 10th NL West crown in 11 seasons.
“It’s just good all-around baseball,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I think a lot of times teams talk about when you have the hitting, you’re not pitching, and vice versa. But I think right now we’ve had both every night.”
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Fighting for their playoff lives, the D-backs lined up their three best starters against the Dodgers this week. But with the way the Dodgers’ lineup has been swinging the bat, they proved to be no match. After getting to Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly in the first two games of the series, the Dodgers didn’t waste much time in getting to rookie Brandon Pfaadt.
As it usually is, the Dodgers’ offense was started by Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who now sit 1-2 in NL OPS. Betts led off the third with an infield single and would come around to score on Freeman’s 25th homer of the season, a 440-foot blast to right field. Freeman also connected on his 51st double of the season, putting him one shy of the franchise record, set by Johnny Frederick in 1929.
“I don’t know what the record is but if he gets the record, I’ll be on record and say I’ll do the 'Freddie Dance,'” Roberts joked. “He has a song now, the 'Freddie Dance,' I guess. So it’s gaining some traction.”
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The bottom of the Dodgers’ lineup also gained some traction in the series against the D-backs. Jason Heyward followed Freeman’s lead and launched a two-run homer of his own to cap the four-run third inning. Heyward and Freeman will have prominent roles when they face the Braves, the organization that drafted and developed both players.
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In the fourth, the Dodgers tacked on two more runs on a Max Muncy two-run double. While Betts and Freeman dictate how the offense goes, Muncy’s ability to impact a game could be the X-factor for the Dodgers down the stretch. He’s riding a season-high nine-game hitting streak, with an extra-base hit in eight straight.
“All I can do is keep focusing on doing my routine every day and trying to stay in a good headspace and hope that this continues,” said Muncy, who also hit an RBI single in the sixth. “It just started in Cleveland after the off-day. Things started clicking a little bit. Just kind of a different mindset out there.”
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On the mound, rookie Ryan Pepiot and lefty Ryan Yarbrough combined to toss the Dodgers’ third shutout of the season. Pepiot punched out three over five innings, while Yarbrough earned his second save with four strong frames.
“Just being able to navigate and just trying to get weak contact,” Pepiot said. “Guys made some good plays behind me, and having run support always helps."
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Now that the three-game set against the D-backs is over, all eyes shift to the much-anticipated four-game series against the Braves. These two organizations have been the class of the NL for the last half-decade and appear to be, once again, on a collision course to meet in the NLCS for the third time in four years.
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The Dodgers go into the series trailing the Braves by four games for the top seed in the NL, which would secure them home-field advantage until at least the World Series.
“It’s going to be a fun series,” Roberts said. “These guys have been the best team, the class of baseball, from the get-go. They can pitch. Their bullpen is solid. Their position players are as good as anybody in baseball. So it’s going to be a fun series.”