NEW YORK – The two-run homer Freddie Freeman hit Saturday was only the third of the season for the Braves' big first baseman, but RBIs gave him a team-high 30 in just 135 at-bats. And for him, "steaks" (RBIs) are the thing.
Driving in runs is a priority for Freeman, who led the National League with a .486 average (17-for-35) with runners in scoring position before Sunday night’s series finale against the Mets.
“When guys are on base, I’m so concentrated on just trying to get them in, trying to work the ball up the middle,” said Freeman, who had 12 hits and 11 RBIs in his past nine games, including two RBIs in each of the first two games of the Mets series. “I know I only have (three) homers and I’m in the middle of the lineup. But I think the homers will come. Just try to hit the ball hard and I’ll get some air under it sometime.
“If you’re going to start worrying about home runs, your batting average is going to go down. I’m just trying to get guys in, trying to get on base.”
He also had six walks in his past nine games before Sunday, giving him a .450 on-base percentage in that span and raising his season average to .296 and OBP to .371.
But for Freeman, nothing was more important than production with runners on base and in scoring position. He was hitting a robust .415 (27-for-65) with runners on base and .186 (13-for-70) with the bases empty before Sunday.
“Our lineup, one through eight, anybody can hit home runs,” said Freeman, who was tied for eighth on the team in home runs, 11 behind team leader Justin Upton, who was 6-for-30 (.200) with runners in scoring position before Sunday.
“Just try to get on, and when there are people on base – it seems like there’s been a lot on recently – just try to get them in,” Freeman said. “And if it goes over the fence or it doesn’t, it doesn’t matter, just get runs on the board.”
Freeman’s .297 career average with runners on was 47 points higher than his bases-empty average.
Braves manager Freddie Gonzalez believes, like most players do, that some hitters are better than others when it comes to eliminating the noise and focusing on the task at hand with runners are in scoring position. Hitters who might otherwise be of similar caliber, but respond differently when it comes to driving in runs.
Freeman appears to have that knack.
“I believe there’s guys out there that, when there’s RBIs to be had, they get it done,” Gonzalez said. “And (Freeman) is a contact guy, which you need to be to be that guy. You need to put the ball in play. You’ve seen it where with two strikes, he’ll kind of shorten down his swing to just put the ball in play.
“The ball he hit (Saturday) night for an RBI, he just put it in play and it happened to find a hole. That’s what happens when you put the ball in play. Things like that can happen.”
