Freeman hits 100th Dodgers homer -- against his former club
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LOS ANGELES -- Freddie Freeman reached a significant career milestone on Friday night, hitting his 100th home run as a member of the Dodgers to help secure a 3-1 victory over the Braves -- the team with which he spent the first 12 season of his career -- at Dodger Stadium.
The solo home run in the sixth inning provided an important insurance run for the Dodgers, who were looking to build momentum as they opened a high-profile series against an Atlanta team that arrived in Los Angeles with a 26-12 record, tied with the Cubs for best in MLB. Freeman continues to be a consistent presence against his former club; with the blast off Chris Sale, he now has six home runs and a .977 OPS against the Braves since joining Los Angeles.
This performance comes at a time when the Dodgers are navigating several roster adjustments. While the club placed right-hander Tyler Glasnow on the 15-day injured list with back spasms and monitors Mookie Betts’ progress on his rehab assignment, the victory highlighted the team’s ability to find stability through its depth.
On the mound, Emmet Sheehan provided a much-needed lift for a rotation recently impacted by those health concerns.
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"I think he's looking for this," manager Dave Roberts said of Sheehan before the game. "I think he's in a good spot mentally, and I just want to go out and see if we can compete tonight."
Sheehan responded by striking out seven batters over 4 1/3 innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits. While his velocity has been a point of discussion throughout the early season, he relied on an four-pitch mix to navigate a potent Braves lineup.
The Dodgers’ bullpen was even more effective, combining for 4 2/3 scoreless innings to preserve the lead. Alex Vesia, Kyle Hurt, Will Klein and Brock Stewart limited Atlanta to just three hits over the final frames before Tanner Scott closed it out in the ninth.
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Offensively, the Dodgers manufactured runs early. In the second inning, Kyle Tucker doubled to score Teoscar Hernández, who had reached on a single. In the fifth, Shohei Ohtani added an RBI single to score Miguel Rojas, who had reached on a throwing error.
Los Angeles continues its series against Atlanta on Saturday, with left-hander Blake Snell scheduled to make his return from the IL.