The Padres hit six home runs in what turned into a rout of a 10-2 victory in Game 2 of their NLDS matchup with the Dodgers, knotting the series 1-1 as the scene shifts to San Diego for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday. Neither club emerged from Game 2 unscathed, however, as both Freddie Freeman (left ankle discomfort) and Xander Bogaerts (hamstring cramp) made early exits due to injury.
Freeman’s exit is the less surprising of the two, as the first baseman’s attempts to play through both a bone bruise and a sprain of his left ankle has become one of the series’ chief storylines. After going 2-for-5 and even stealing a base in the Dodgers’ Game 1 victory, Freeman went 0-for-2 tonight before he was replaced in the field heading into the top of the sixth. Freeman was due up to the plate again in the bottom of the sixth and L.A. was trailing only 3-1 after five innings, yet he was clearly not feeling well enough to continue playing. Post-game, manager Dave Roberts told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times (X link) and other reporters that the team would know more about Freeman’s status after working out tomorrow during the club’s off-day.
Freeman suffered what was initially diagnosed as just an ankle sprain on September 26, in the Dodgers’ fourth-last game of the regular season. X-rays were negative, but Freeman revealed to reporters that the combination of the sprain and the bone bruise would normally sideline him for 4-to-6 weeks if this was the regular season. However, on just eight full days of rest, Freeman returned to the field in Game 1, though it wasn’t clear until just a few hours before game time if the first baseman would indeed be ready to go.
Bogaerts seemingly suffered his injury while hitting a foul ball during his plate appearance in the eighth inning, yet the shortstop seemingly looked no worse for wear in hitting a solo homer. The Padres ended the frame with a 7-1 lead, which perhaps gave the club a little more flexibility to replace Bogaerts in the field with Tyler Wade in the top of the eighth.
Monday is an off-day in the series, so Freeman and Bogaerts will get some built-in time to recuperate before play resumes. While Bogaerts’ cramp doesn’t seem overly serious, Wade is the natural replacement at shortstop if Bogaerts isn’t ready for Tuesday’s Game 3. If Bogaerts can hit but not field, the Padres can use Wade at shortstop, Luis Arraez at first base, and Bogaerts could conceivably act as the designated hitter.
Shohei Ohtani’s presence in the DH spot gives the Dodgers no such flexibility with Freeman, as he’d have to play first base if he is to be part of the team’s starting lineup. If he can’t start, Freeman would therefore seemingly be limited to pinch-hit duty, which then necessitates a larger shuffle of the Dodgers’ lineup. Obviously losing Freeman under any circumstance is bad news for Los Angeles, but losing a key left-handed bat will hamper the Dodgers against Game 3 starter Michael King (a right-hander), and L.A. is lacking in left-handed bench depth.
As a reminder, teams can make injury replacements to a series roster, but at a significant longer-term cost. Replaced players would not only be out for the rest of the NLDS, but they also wouldn’t be able to participate in the NLCS if their team was to advance to the next round. This rule is surely weighing on the Dodgers in particular as they figure out Freeman’s status, though it would seem as if Freeman would have to have seriously re-aggravated his injury for L.A. to remove him from the roster altogether.
HiredGun23
Hope they both heal up and are ready for game 3. Petco Park is gonna be rockin’…
Wren
sorry sights from DS and the fans. thought it was some unnecessary posturing and taunting by SD but that doesn’t justify what happened. truly embarrassing and in keeping with the changing demographics of the fanbase and its street mentality. SP is a mess and just hoping against the odds Ferris and Knack can show up w reasonable stuff. really just hoping to see baseball games and not more nonsense.
mlb fan
“Sorry sights from DS”…I’m not the morality police by any means, but was Jurickson Propar’s mocking the fans really necessary after robbing the Home run ball?..This I believe kind of got the “nonsense” started.
I Believe We Can Win
Is it necessary for a player to show boat to fans after making a big play preventing a home run after potentially dealing with heckling him in game 1 and game 2?
Yes. Yes it’s completely necessary. Fans don’t like it well don’t heckle players.
If padres fans were heckling betts and he blasted a 3 story shot their way and show boated around the bases pointing to RF the entire time yeah fair is fair.
mlb fan
“Don’t heckle players”…Cmon bro, have you ever been to a game before?..Fans are going to “heckle” players. That’s practically being a fan 101.
It looked to me like Propar incited and exacerbated the issue by mocking the fans early in the game(after robbing hr), well before the fans started throwing things. At the end of the day, the players are the professionals not the fans.
There’s nothing to be gained by beefing with fans, many of who are drunk, ill tempered and upset by the way the game is playing out.
You could even see Propar’s own teammates telling him to calm down and be a professional. And showboating from 200 feet away is quite a bit different than showboating/mocking directly in someone’s face like Propar did.
AngelsFan1968
Well it did take many beers for the bleacher fans to get upset about the first inning.
I Believe We Can Win
If you don’t like when players respond to your heckling. Don’t heckle.
So fans can heckle drunk or sober but players can’t smile and dance when they rob a home run to said heckling fans?
Nah. Two way street. Profar smiling and jumping up and down is fine. Same way it’d be fine if betts responds to SD fans if they heckle him. Long as the players response is appropriate it’s totally fine to respond to heckling fans.
Pointing, finger shushing, jumping up and down waving, totally fine. Wish more players did it
Middle finger. Yelling f you. Yelling slurs. Nah not cool.
El Niño
None of them were there in the first. Dodger fans roll into the stadium in the 3rd right after they meet with their parole officer.
bkbk
Bro, grown adult men threw things at the players, I dont care how chirpy it gets, dont be a loser.
Wren
literally the second sentence of my post mlb but react away
IronBallsMcGinty
Hey, Jurickson. I’ll bet you tuck your t-shirts into your jeans on your off days YOU BUUUM!
(If anyone knows those videos)
Mercenary.Freddie.Freeman
Go Padres. Spoil it for Ohtani Rose.
Butter Biscuits
Profar is such a clown every thing he does is an over reaction guy is soft for letting fans get to him
nutznboltz
How come nobody is mentioning Flaherty’s part in the big picture?From my point of view he started yelling at Manny after he struck Manny out and Manny was walking back to the dugout. That certainly did help matters. It only got the fans more fired up. Sure,Manny turned around and went right back at him,but what was he supposed to do?
Butter Biscuits
Manny was jaw jacking after tatis hbp that started it
HiredGun23
10-2…enough said
dadrib
And Tuesday begins an all new series… best of 3. Game on!
Yankee Clipper
John Smoltz’ obsession with Ohtani is unnatural.
rct
It’s up there with Cris Collinsworth’s obsession with Patrick Mahomes.
Non Roster Invitee
These aren’t trade rumours.