Freddie

Freeman

Roberts has decided to flip Smith and Freddie Freeman against southpaws, likely to prevent having three lefty bats in the top four of the order, now that offseason addition Kyle Tucker is in the mix. It’s a small change for the Dodgers but one that fantasy managers should monitor to see whether it sticks. It would likely result in a few additional run-producing opportunities for Smith.

The homer off Landen Roupp was Freeman’s first of the spring, but he’s now 12-for-28 with a 2/5 K/BB. He’s healthier now after his ankle injury from 2023 lingered into last season, and he’s probably a little underrated for fantasy purposes.

Freeman opened the scoring in the ballgame with an RBI single off of Mitch Spence before an out had been recorded in the home half of the first. He then smacked a two-run single in the fourth that extended the Dodgers’ lead to 5-0. The 36-year-old slugger has looked as good as ever this spring, hitting .455 (5-for-11) with seven RBI and a 0/1 K/BB ratio. He remains a steady producer for fantasy purposes and a strong foundation piece on any team.

Roberts said he hasn’t made any final decisions. Second and third are the usual spots of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, respectively, which made us think Tucker might open up in the cleanup spot. If Tucker bats second, he’d presumably be followed by Betts and Freeman, but if Tucker bats third behind Betts, it might make sense to slide Freeman down to fifth to separate the lefty bats and use Will Smith in the cleanup spot.

It’ll be interesting to hear what this is about. Freeman played for Canada in the 2017 and ’23 WBCs, going a combined 4-for-21 in six games.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will stick with Betts in the cleanup spot for the winner-take-all affair in Toronto after he delivered a two-run single in Game 6 to help Los Angeles keep their season alive. Here’s the full lineup as the Dodgers attempt to repeat as World Series champions: Shohei Ohtani (P/DH), Will Smith (C), Freddie Freeman (1B), Betts (SS), Max Muncy (3B), Teoscar Hernández (RF), Tommy Edman (CF), Enrique Hernández (LF) and Miguel Rojas (2B).

With their backs up against the wall and looking to stave off elimination, Dodgers’ skipper Dave Roberts has opted to shake up his lineup a bit. Miguel Rojas will start at second base while Tommy Edman will move out to center field. Here’s the full lineup that the Dodgers will send out against Jays’ right-hander Kevin Gausman: Shohei Ohtani (DH), Will Smith (C), Freddie Freeman (1B), Betts (SS), Teoscar Hernández (RF), Max Muncy (3B), Kiké Hernandez (LF), Tommy Edman (CF) and Miguel Rojas (2B).

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has flip-flopped Hernández, who snapped out of an early-series slump with a four-hit effort during Monday’s Game 3 extra-inning marathon, and Max Muncy on his lineup card as they prepare to face Blue Jays veteran Shane Bieber on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. The only other note here is that the Dodgers continue sticking with Andy Pages in center field despite the fact he’s batting .083 this postseason. Here’s the full lineup: Shohei Ohtani (DH), Mookie Betts (SS), Freddie Freeman (1B), Will Smtih (C), Hernández (RF), Muncy (3B), Tommy Edman (2B), Enrique Hernandez (LF) and Pages (CF).

In every October run, there’s a swing that becomes shorthand for everything else. This one will be remembered forever — especially if the Dodgers go on to win their second straight title. Freeman put the exclamation point on the longest game in World Series history, ending a nearly seven-hour extra-inning marathon with a majestic fly ball that barely cleared the center-field fence. This game had everything: spectacular defense on both sides, heroic relief outings from unheralded arms like Toronto lefty Eric Lauer — who fired 4 2/3 shutout frames — and Dodgers righty Will Klein, who delivered four scoreless innings on a career-high 72 pitches. And, as the 19th inning loomed, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was warming up in the bullpen — just two days removed from throwing a 105-pitch complete game. The two clubs will meet again in just a few hours for Game 4 of the Fall Classic at Dodger Stadium with Shohei Ohtani taking the mound opposite Shane Bieber. Are you not entertained?

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has flipped Muncy — who launched a pivotal solo homer during the late stages of Saturday night’s Game 2 win in Toronto — and Teoscar Hernández on his lineup card to face Blue Jays veteran Max Scherzer as the best-of-seven Fall Classic shifts to Los Angeles. Here’s the full lineup: Shohei Ohtani (DH), Mookie Betts (SS). Freddie Freeman (1B), Will Smith (C), Muncy (3B), Hernández (RF), Tommy Edman (2B), Enrique Hernández (LF) and Andy Pages (CF).