{"id":81533,"date":"2025-08-22T08:48:37","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T08:48:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=81533"},"modified":"2025-08-22T08:48:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T08:48:48","slug":"dodgers-will-smith-freddie-freeman-in-middle-of-nl-batting-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=81533","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udea8BREAKING NEWS: Dodgers stars Will Smith and Freddie Freeman are locked in the middle of the NL batting race! \u26be\ud83d\udd25 Can they bring the crown back to Los Angeles?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"The<\/p>\n

DENVER \u2014 While teams battle for playoff spots down the stretch, another race is shaping up.<\/p>\n

Going into Thursday\u2019s games, four hitters in the National League were within two points of the lead for the batting title \u2013 Dodgers catcher Will Smith (.304), Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (.303), Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (.302) and Miami Marlins shortstop Xavier Edwards (.302).<\/p>\n

When the afternoon games ended, Smith, Turner and Freeman were in a tie at .303.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t do that to me. I\u2019m not playing that game,\u201d Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said when asked to pick a favorite. \u201cI think it\u2019s good to have both our guys in there and I think it\u2019ll make them both better. If they say that they\u2019re not aware of it, they\u2019re not telling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freeman is certainly aware of it \u2013 though he says he doesn\u2019t give any thought to individual achievements during the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only thing I\u2019ll say about it is if you\u2019re talking about a batting title with me, that means I had a good year. That puts a smile on my face,\u201d Freeman said.<\/p>\n

Freeman did not have the look of a potential batting champ \u2013 or much to smile about \u2013 as he suffered through a six-week slump, the longest of his career. Since July 21, though, he has hit .333, rising up the ranks to third in the National League.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat makes me smile because it means I grinded through it and even when I didn\u2019t feel good I was still able to be on the field and maybe throw some hits out there,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cThat\u2019s how I look at it. If you\u2019re talking to me about a batting title at the end of August, that means I had a good year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freeman gained 10 points on his average since July 21 while Smith lost 19, batting .236 in that time. Turner has been the fastest riser. The 2021 NL batting champ when he split the season between the Washington Nationals and Dodgers, he has gained 21 points in just 10 games before Thursday, going 24 for 46 including a five-hit game on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Freeman has been through this before. He finished among the NL\u2019s top 10 batting averages six times in his first 15 seasons including three third-place finishes (2013, 2018 and 2023) and two seconds \u2013 2020 when he won the NL MVP with Atlanta and 2022 when two more hits would have pushed him past the New York Mets\u2019 Jeff McNeil.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave I been close? Yes. Would it be cool to win one? Obviously it would be very cool to win one,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cBut if you don\u2019t win one, that doesn\u2019t take away from a good year you had.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not trying to win batting titles. I\u2019m just trying to be myself. I\u2019m just trying to have a good year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould I love to win one? Yes, I would love to win one. Everyone in here would love to win one.\u201d<\/p>\n

The quartet at the top have another distinction \u2013 they are the only .300 hitters in the National League (with enough at-bats to qualify for a batting title).<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause this game is hard,\u201d Freeman said when asked to explain the paucity of .300 hitters. \u201cEveryone throws 95-plus. You\u2019re trying to cover four different pitches. It\u2019s hard. The fielders are in spots where they know you might not hit it there but more than likely you\u2019re going to hit it there more often. And guys are covering more ground. They\u2019re more athletic. It\u2019s just such a hard game.\u201d<\/p>\n

LATE SHO<\/h4>\n

Shohei Ohtani was not in the lineup on Thursday after leaving Wednesday\u2019s game early when he was hit in the right thigh by a line drive while pitching. Roberts had already decided before that to give Ohtani the day off on Thursday, only the third game this year he has missed (the other two came when he was on paternity leave).<\/p>\n

\u201cI told him to sleep in, show up late,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy thought is he\u2019s still going to be sore. But I expect him in the lineup tomorrow (in San Diego).\u201d<\/p>\n

REHAB ROUNDUP<\/h4>\n

Relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates will join the Dodgers in San Diego and come off the injured list. Scott will be activated on Friday, Yates on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Pitcher Roki Sasaki, utility man Kik\u00e9 Hernandez and reliever Michael Kopech all played for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

Sasaki made the second start of his rehab assignment and pitched into the fourth inning. He allowed two runs (one earned) on three singles and three walks in 3\u2153 innings. He stuck out two, threw 60 pitches (39 strikes) and showed increased velocity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was certainly better than his first one,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cI think the confidence in getting hitters out, and the stuff\u2019s playing up. After next week, we\u2019ll have a better idea where we\u2019re at on the big league side and where he\u2019s at.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sasaki\u2019s fastball was 93 to 95 mph during his first rehab start. He hit 97 mph this time, but Roberts said the Dodgers are expecting more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it needs to keep trending up. But this is his second rehab assignment,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cI think he was (9)4 to (9)7, which is really good, and then another uptick which is our expectation, that should play here. But yeah, we\u2019ve still got to build him up and he\u2019s still got to perform.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hernandez was 2 for 3 with a single, a double, a walk, a stolen base and a strikeout as DH. He has been out since July 5 with a left elbow injury but could rejoin the Dodgers next week.<\/p>\n

Kopech made his third rehab appearance and pitched a scoreless inning despite allowing a double and walking two batters. He is not eligible to come off the 60-day injured list until next Thursday.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, third baseman Max Muncy has begun taking swings and hitting off a tee. Muncy suffered a mild oblique strain last week but is \u201ctrending in the right direction,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n

Utility man Tommy Edman has been doing straight-line running and could start running the curve of the infield soon to test his injured right ankle. He is not expected to return until \u201csometime in early September.\u201d<\/p>\n

ALSO<\/h4>\n

One day after adding him to the active roster and getting two innings of relief from him, the Dodgers sent right-hander Paul Gervase back to OKC and recalled right-hander Matt Sauer.<\/p>\n

UP NEXT<\/h4>\n

Dodgers (LHP Blake Snell, 3-1, 1.80 ERA) at Padres (RHP Yu Darvish, 2-3, 5.97 ERA), Friday, 6:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM<\/p>\n

Originally Published:

Smith led all NL hitters with a .304 average going into Thursday\u2019s games, but Trea Turner, teammate Freeman and Xavier Edwards are all close behind. 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