The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers experienced contrasting outcomes on the field this past Sunday.
The Brewers achieved their tenth consecutive triumph with a 6-5 victory and matched the Chicago Cubs for the top spot in the National League Central division. Conversely, the Los Angeles Dodgers not only experienced their tenth defeat in a span of twelve games but also witnessed their prominent first baseman, Freddie Freeman, depart the game due to a wrist contusion.
With two series sweeps against the Dodgers within a two-week timeframe, the Brewers emerged as the first team to sweep Los Angeles in a season series consisting of at least four games since 2006, when the St. Louis Cardinals secured victories in all seven matchups, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
As recently as June 18, the Brewers trailed the Cubs by 6.5 games. Presently, they share the distinction of possessing the best record in Major League Baseball alongside Chicago and the Detroit Tigers, boasting a record of 59-40. Similarly, as of July 3, the Dodgers held a commanding nine-game lead in the National League West division. However, they now maintain a mere 3.5-game advantage over the second-place San Diego Padres, with a record of 58-42.
The Dodgers experienced a brief respite when they concluded the first half of the season with two victories against the San Francisco Giants, but their performance following the All-Star break has been underwhelming. The offense displayed a lack of vigor on Friday, and the defense failed to secure a crucial shutdown inning when needed on Saturday.
Sunday’s game initially presented a different narrative when a rally in the third inning, highlighted by a home run from Shohei Ohtani, propelled Los Angeles to a 3-0 lead. However, the Brewers retaliated in the subsequent inning, capitalizing on a defensive lapse by the Dodgers, who committed three errors throughout the game.
Esteury Ruiz, one of the players responsible for those errors, redeemed himself with a home run in the fifth inning, but the Brewers responded once again in the following inning, seizing the lead for good this time.
It was subsequent to this moment that Freeman, the reigning World Series MVP, was struck on the wrist by an 88 mph sinker delivered by Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jose Quintana. The 35-year-old Freeman immediately began walking towards the dugout, and the Dodgers soon announced that he had left the game due to a left wrist contusion.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts informed reporters following the game that Freeman’s X-ray results came back negative and that his status is day-to-day moving forward.
There had already been cause for concern regarding Freeman’s performance, as he had been experiencing a quiet decline after a stellar start to the season. Since the beginning of June, he had been hitting .201/.274/.282 with only one home run and a 57 wRC+, which ranked as the ninth-worst among qualified players entering Sunday’s game.
The Dodgers nearly mounted a comeback in the ninth inning, loading the bases and scoring a run off Brewers set-up man Abner Uribe, but Mookie Betts, another former MVP who has been struggling recently, lined out to end the game.
Presently, the Dodgers are encountering numerous challenges. Their next opportunity to reverse their fortunes will be a home series against the Minnesota Twins. Meanwhile, the Brewers will aim to extend their winning streak in a road series against the Seattle Mariners beginning on Monday.
