The Dodgers had two debatable roster decisions this week.
And based on Sunday’s results, they may have been right on both.
In a 9-1 rubber-stamp over the Phillies, the Dodgers were led offensively by two recent call-ups from Triple-A, getting home runs from Alex Freeland and Ryan Ward to take two of three games in a rematch of the National League Division Series.
Alex Freeland went 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs from the No. 9 spot, opening the scoring with a double off the wall up center in the second before extending the lead with a solo home run in the fourth inning.
Ward also left the yard in the bottom of the fourth, giving him his first career home run in his first game at Dodger Stadium.
At the beginning of this week, neither player was on the Dodgers’ big-league roster. It was only after injuries to Kiki Hernandez and Teoscar Hernandez that the need for reinforcements from Palace arrived.
Even then, it was not guaranteed that Freeland and Ward would be called up. For each location, there were other options the team could consider.
Freeland actually got the nod over the since-demoted Heesung Kim, who was optioned back to Oklahoma City’s Triple-A team after a recent slump cost him his platoon job at second base. Likewise, Ward was called up for outfield prospect James Thibbs III, and received only his second career opportunity in the majors after a brief appearance in two games earlier this year.
Both decisions were questioned by some corners of the fan base.
But on Sunday, any such doubts were dispelled, lifting the Dodgers to their fifth straight win.
What does it mean
After Tanner Scott faltered late in the game on Saturday night, the Dodgers bounced back with their 14th win out of 17 games overall.
Of all the victories achieved in that period, Sunday’s victory was among the most impressive.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto navigated traffic in a scoreless 5-inning start, working around four hits, two walks and one strikeout while striking out a season-high 10 strikeouts.
The Dodgers’ offense, in a refreshing change of pace, also provided plenty of run support, tagging Phillies starter Andrew Painter with four runs in 3 innings before hitting it late.
In addition to Freeland and Ward, the Dodgers also got two hits each from Shohei Ohtani (extending his home run to 16 games), Kyle Tucker (who snapped a previous 1-for-16 slump on this home run) and Max Muncy (including his team-leading 14th home run); and two RBIs each from Alex Call (on a single in the fifth) and Freddie Freeman (on a pair of sacrifice flies).
Who’s hot?
Ward hasn’t gotten many hits in his limited time in the majors this season.
But when he was on the plate, he made the most of it
During his MLB debut on April 19 at Colorado, the longtime minor league prospect had a pair of singles and an RBI. And after hitting a 1-for-2 home run on Sunday — lifted early by a bat hit by Call in the fifth inning — he has now hit .375 in his first three big-league at-bats.
Who is not
Home plate umpire Sean Barber, who had a whopping eight calls overturned via the new ABS challenge system.
The first two came in the first inning, when backup catcher Dalton Rushing — who was previously just 3-for-8 in ABS challenges from behind the plate this year — got Yamamoto a pair of hits by successfully converting a couple of called balls into third strikes.
Freeman found himself on the other side of the equation in the bottom half of the inning, when what was initially ruled a walk with a full count turned into a strikeout after actually running to first base.
Not every ABS review disagreed with Barber. The Dodgers and Phillies each lost one challenge.
However, the eight overturned calls were just one shy of the most in a game this season.
the next
The Dodgers head to Arizona on Monday for a four-game series against the Diamondbacks. The opener will feature Emmett Sheehan (3-1, 4.70 ERA) against left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (5-1, 2.31 ERA).