MIAMI — The Los Angeles Dodgers won the series after splitting the first two games, as Freddie Freeman and James Outman powered the offense to a 10-1 victory over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday at LoanDepot Park.
Freeman is enjoying his time in Miami, where he drove in four runs on Wednesday against the Marlins with a triple and a single. Since returning from his ankle injury, everything has been going well for Freeman; he is currently on a 12-game hitting streak.
Freeman’s performance on the field has been improving recently, going 8-for-13 in the series with two home runs and six RBIs.
Since becoming a father, Shohei Ohtani has improved his power swing, hitting four home runs and driving in seven runs. Since the start of the season, Ohtani is batting .299 with 10 home runs and 15 RBI, along with 10 stolen bases, although he was caught stealing for the second time this year on Wednesday.
Andy Pages batted cleanup in place of Teoscar Hernandez, going 2-for-5 with an RBI single. He has now hit safely in his last four games. One of Pages’ primary focuses has been to improve his ability to control the strike zone. Early in his career, he struggled with high strikeout rates, often swinging and missing at pitches outside of the zone.
After Teoscar Hernandez was placed on the injured list, which will keep him out for several weeks, Outman was called up to take his place. Outman entered the game midway through and, in his last at-bat, hit a three-run home run, marking his first of the season.
Hyeseong Kim has been impressive since being called up from Triple-A. He is 5-for-12 with two RBIs, filling in for Tommy Edman, who went on the injured list last week.
Right-hander Valente Bellozo had an impressive outing, allowing just one hit and striking out seven over 5 1/3 scoreless innings. The game remained scoreless through five innings until the Dodgers scored first.
Cade Gibson entered the game for the Marlins and allowed the first run to Freeman. After that, things took a turn for the worse for the Marlins in the seventh inning, as they gave up six runs. Right-hander Lake Bachar allowed those six runs on four hits in just one-third of an inning.
Right-hander Landon Knack delivered an impressive performance for the Dodgers against the Marlins. Making the most of his opportunity, Knack pitched five innings, allowing no runs and giving up four hits. He struck out five batters and kept the Marlins’ offense off balance throughout the game.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Landon Knack (96) delivers a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park.
The Dodgers received a significant boost from right-hander Matt Sauer, who pitched four innings, allowing only one hit and one run. Sauer registered four strikeouts on 42 pitches. With Roberts opting to use only two pitchers in the final game of the series, this was a crucial victory as they head into a four-game stretch. series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers’ pitching staff is facing multiple injuries, as they placed right-hander Evan Phillips on the 15-day injured list. The list continues to grow with pitchers like Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Blake Treinen also sidelined.
The Dodgers are set to travel to Arizona on Thursday, where right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (4-2, 0.90 ERA) will start against right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (5-2, 3.79).