FREEMAN HELPS DODGERS TO ANOTHER VICTORY
Freddie Freeman homered and drove in two runs and the Los Angeles Dodgers extended their winning streak against Cincinnati this season to six games, beating the Reds 8-4 on Wednesday night.
Freeman, who tied a season high with five RBIs in an 8-2 win in series opener on Tuesday, has seven RBIs in the series.
“We backed up a really good offensive output performance with another one,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Really good at-bats throughout the lineup. We have a superstar player out of the lineup. Up and down the lineup, guys are starting to pick up that void of Mookie.”
Dodgers star Mookie Betts is sidelined after cracking a rib in a collision with Cody Bellinger last week.
Freeman said he is fully focused on the task at hand, and not ahead to the Dodgers’ three-game series in Atlanta this weekend. He was part of the Braves’ World Series title run last season.
“I’ve been around for a long time and concentrate on each game,” Freeman said. “I know what’s going on this weekend, but it doesn’t really affect me.”
Albert Almora Jr. hit his fifth homer of the season for Cincinnati, which has lost eight straight over two seasons to the Dodgers at Great American Ball Park.
The Dodgers’ .619 winning percentage at Great American Ball Park (39-24) is the second best of any NL team, behind the Mets’ 36-21 (.632).
Dodgers left-hander Tyler Anderson, who took a nohitter into the ninth inning in his last start, allowed three earned runs on five hits in five innings.
“Today was one of those outings where it’s just scrap everything and go into compete mode,” Anderson said. “I felt fine physically. Just didn’t feel real crisp.”
Consecutive doubles by Kyle Farmer and Donovan Solano, who made his season and Reds debuts, put Cincinnati ahead 1-0 in the second inning. The Reds scored three runs in the second, one more than Anderson had allowed in 10 of 12 starts this season.
Notable
Teams have been told they can sell CBD sponsorships. The commissioner’s office informed teams that a sponsor would need to be certified by the NSF, a global health and safety organization, to ensure the CBD products do not contain THC that causes psychoactive effects.
The Angels optioned rookie left-hander Reid Detmers to the minors just six starts after he threw a nohitter. The Angels assigned Detmers to Triple-A Salt Lake a day after he made his sixth consecutive winless start since his no-hitter against Tampa Bay on May 10.
Former Brewers OF Lorenzo Cain has cleared waivers and is now a free agent.