Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman pushes back on the narrative that the playoff bye negatively affects team performance following a 3-2 loss to the Braves.
The debate surrounding the playoff bye has surfaced once again. but Freddie Freeman has no patience for those blaming the break for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ current struggles. Following a 3-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on Sunday night. the first baseman was blunt about the value of the layoff.
“Everyone starts talking about, ‘Is the bye good?’ Of course the bye is good,” Freeman said after the game. “Do you want to go to a three-game (wild-card) series?”
For teams like the Braves, that best-of-three wild-card gauntlet is a reality—a precarious path where a single bad night can end an entire season. The Dodgers, meanwhile, enjoyed five days of rest before beginning the National League Division Series.
Despite the rest. Sunday’s result left the series tied 1-1. a significant shift from the Dodgers’ 5-3 victory in the opener. The frustration at the plate was evident; Los Angeles went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven men stranded. Pitcher Blake Snell. who had been limited to just five innings over the previous two and a half weeks due to left groin tightness. struggled to find his rhythm. walking five batters and lasting only 3 2/3 innings.
Atlanta capitalized on the opportunities presented to them. Mauricio Dubon broke the ice with a two-out RBI single in the first inning. Later. in the fifth. Michael Harris II tripled after a misplayed fly ball by Teoscar Hernández. eventually crossing the plate on a wild pitch from Kris Bubic to secure the go-ahead run.
Freeman provided the Dodgers’ primary spark, connecting for a solo home run in the fourth inning to tie the game at 1-1. It was his first extra-base hit since September 2, a breakthrough after a September hampered by a lingering knee issue.
As the series moves to Truist Park for Game 3 on Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET, the stakes are rising. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is slated to face Chris Sale in a matchup that will put the winner one victory away from the National League Championship Series. While the Dodgers are chasing a third straight World Series title, Freeman insists the team isn’t looking that far ahead.
“We’re not trying to think about winning three series in a row, three World Series,” Freeman said. “We’re trying to get through Tuesday.”
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