LOS ANGELES \u2014 Freddie Freeman looks like Freddie Freeman again, and that is very good news for the Dodgers. One day after homering, he followed it up with two doubles and four RBIs in Saturday\u2019s 10-5 win over the Nationals. After the game, Freeman made it sound like the performance was not something he stumbled into. He spent extra time working before first pitch because he had not loved how his swing felt over the previous few games, and on Saturday he saw the payoff.<\/p>\n
Putting in the Work<\/p>\n
Freeman said the work started early. \u201cThere was a lot more before the game today. I hadn\u2019t really liked the last few games, even though I did hit a home run yesterday. So there was a lot of no-stride, bat-between-my-feet kind of drills this morning. It was nice to see that pay off, but we\u2019ll get back at it tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer sounded about as Freddie as it gets. He can have a homer in the books, a big game on Saturday, and still be talking about the details of his swing and the work that went into cleaning it up. For Dodgers fans, that is part of what makes him so steady. He pays attention to the small things, and when those things feel right, the results tend to follow.<\/p>\n
550 Doubles<\/p>\n
Saturday also came with a milestone. Freeman\u2019s latest double gave him 550 for his career, and he said he only learned the number on the field. \u201cDavid just told me on the field, so yeah, 550. Like I said on the field, as I\u2019ve gotten older, I do appreciate what I\u2019ve been able to accomplish. Hopefully I\u2019ve got a lot more in my future, but 550 is still a pretty cool number.\u201d<\/p>\n
The milestone carried a little extra meaning because it moved him past Troy Tulowitzki, a player Freeman said shaped him in a big way early in his career. \u201cTulo meant a lot to me. A lot of how I hit, my approach, and inside the white line of the batter\u2019s box, how to keep my hands through it, he was the one that told me that. He told me to hit the ball through the wall, not over the wall. There are a lot of things I took from him when I first came up. So he definitely meant a lot to me early on, that\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
That is a pretty great little window into how Freeman became the hitter Dodgers fans know today. The line about hitting the ball through the wall instead of over it sounds exactly like the kind of idea that would stick with him. It also fits what he still does so well. Even with the power numbers, so much of Freeman\u2019s game is built on staying through the baseball and driving it with authority.<\/p>\n
Offense Livens Up<\/p>\n
As for the offense as a whole, Freeman liked what he saw from a Dodgers lineup that looked much more like itself in this one. \u201cObviously much better the last couple of games. Like I said, it\u2019s the first week. We\u2019re going to be fine. But when you get guys on, it\u2019s nice to get some big two-out hits. And I\u2019m just hoping he\u2019s okay. But it\u2019s good to see the offense, guys get on base, four walks. Alex Call hasn\u2019t played in a week and he\u2019s out there getting multiple hits. Just the depth of our team and lineup was on display today, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n
That part probably stood out most. Freeman was talking about his own production, but he quickly widened the frame to the whole lineup. That is what Saturday felt like for the Dodgers. Traffic on the bases. Tough at-bats. Big hits with two outs. Contributions from stars and role players alike. Freeman was in the middle of it, and he also seemed to appreciate how complete the group looked.<\/p>\n
When he was asked about the club\u2019s hot start overall, he gave the kind of answer Dodgers fans can probably guess before he even says it. \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about it. Let\u2019s just keep it going, all right? But it\u2019s been an incredible start that you can only dream of. So hopefully we\u2019ll just keep it at that. We don\u2019t want to talk about it anymore, and hopefully it keeps going.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounds like a veteran who knows baseball too well to start celebrating in April, even if the first week has been a lot of fun.<\/p>\n
Heading Back to Canada<\/p>\n
Freeman also looked ahead to Monday\u2019s trip to Toronto, a city that clearly means something to him after what happened there last season, not to mention his family ties to the area. \u201cI love going to Toronto. Different for me, personal reasons, but it\u2019ll be good to go back. A lot of good memories there in the last few months. They\u2019ve got a really good team that we\u2019re facing, really good pitching. So it\u2019ll be a good matchup again.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, though, Saturday belonged to Freeman and a Dodgers offense that finally looked fully awake. Two doubles, four RBIs, a milestone number, and a few quiet clues about the work that goes on behind the scenes. That is usually how it goes with him. The swing gets tuned up, the ball starts jumping, and the Dodgers get a whole lot tougher to deal with.<\/p>\n
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