The Los Angeles Dodgers were swept by the Chicago Cubs Wednesday, but that wasn’t the only concerning thing that transpired.
Freddie Freeman exited the series finale at Wrigley Field in the fifth inning after being hit on the hand in the batter’s box. The first baseman received X-rays, which came back negative, per manager Dave Roberts.
The Dodgers skipper expects Freeman back in the lineup Friday, when the Dodgers open their road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kiké Hernandez replaced Freeman at first base in the fifth.
The veteran All-Star was seen grimacing and looked at his wrist after a check swing. Given the importance of Freeman to the Dodgers lineup, the team likely won’t rush the 36-year-old to return if he faces a setback before the series opener against Arizona.
Freeman is batting .310 this season, which ranks third in the National League behind Luis Arraez of the Philadelphia Phillies and Otto Lopez of the Miami Marlins. He extended his hitting streak to 15 games Wednesday with a single to left field in the third inning.
The Dodgers were within one run of taking the series finale in Chicago, but couldn’t muster another run. LA ultimately fell to the Cubs, 7-6.
The Dodgers have lost six consecutive games and have suffered back-to-back sweeps by the Cubs and Boston Red Sox.
While the Dodgers have endured a pair of tough series, Roberts revealed the team hasn’t gone into panic mode because of the ongoing losing streak.
“There’s certainly no panic,” Roberts said. “We’ve been through a lot of these things, this core group of guys. I think that you just got to kind of reset, flush it, find a way to win a game, and not let it just compound.”
