LOS ANGELES – Freddie Freeman was back in the Braves lineup Thursday night against the Dodgers, but that didn’t mean the slugger was fully recovered from the flu symptoms that forced him from Wednesday’s game against the Cubs in Atlanta after the fourth inning.
Freeman said he felt “terrible” on the long team charter flight to Los Angeles and he still had body aches before batting practice Thursday prior to the opener of a four-game series at Dodger Stadium.
But a few hours later, he singled to drive in the first run of the game in the first inning, then added an RBI single in the third inning to give the Braves a 3-1 lead on the way to a 6-3 win that snapped the Dodgers’ 11-game winning streak.
“I feel fine from the neck up, my body’s just weak,” Freeman said before the game, seated at his locker stall prior to batting practice. “Got to play.”
Meaning, he didn’t want to sit out the four-game series opener against a streaking Dodgers team. The Braves, after making a strong push to get back to .500 and the periphery of the wild-card race, just got swept by the Cubs in three games at SunTrust Park before starting a difficult 11-game, 12-day trip to Los Angeles, Arizona and Philadelphia.
“It’s big, definitely, after getting swept in the last series, to turn it around and get the first one against probably the best team in baseball right now,” Freeman said late Thursday after the win. “We’ve got tough matchups the next three days, but we’re up for the test.”
It was around 90 degrees during batting practice, but Braves manager Brian Snitker thought the cooler night-time weather expected in Los Angeles would be beneficial for Freeman. He was prepared to make a lineup change if necessary, if Freeman felt bad following batting practice.
The Braves were glad that didn’t happen after Freeman drove in two of their first three runs.
