SAN DIEGO – After vomiting repeatedly from Sunday night through late Monday afternoon, Freddie Freeman took some medication and played a game Monday night at San Diego. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, striking out twice with runners in scoring position.
A day later, Freeman said a doctor still wasn’t sure what caused the unpleasantness – perhaps something he ate or a virus, though the doc also mention vertigo as a possibility – but the first baseman was able to keep down food Tuesday and was back in the lineup for the second game of the three-game series.
“I felt terrible (Monday),” Freeman said as he walked from the clubhouse through a hallway to the visitor’s dugout at Petco Park before batting practice Tuesday. “I feel a little better today. Threw up seven times past two days. I’ve been able to keep food down today, hopefully get my strength back.”
It’s been a rough stretch for Freeman, who before Tuesday had one home run and one RBI in 16 games since his two-homer, four-RBI game May 20 at Philadelphia. He was 9-for-57 (.158) with five walks, 21 strikeouts and a .238 OBP in his past 15 games.
No one would’ve blamed him if he’d taken a rest day Monday, given his condition and the fact the Braves were facing a lefty. But Freeman hasn’t taken a day off since April 14 and didn’t want to Monday. He was in the lineup again Tuesday for the 57th time in 58 games.
“He hasn’t been throwing up or anything, so he said he’s good to go,” Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. Of Monday’s decision, Snitker said, “He said, I’m fine. He wanted to play. So (you) have to trust — a lot of guys play sick and don’t want days off. Hopefully they’re forthright with you if they really can’t go.”
