Freeman looking like old self as big as any Dodgers Deadline acquisition

TAMPA -- After nearly two months of frustration, Freddie Freeman is beginning to look much more like his normal self.

Freeman drove in a trio of runs in Friday night's 5-0 win over the Rays, lining a two-run double to right in the first inning and crushing a solo shot at 111.2 mph off the bat in the fifth. His fourth multihit effort in his past eight games could be signaling a turnaround at the plate for the star first baseman.

Not long ago, Freeman was enduring an extended slump. He hit .199 with a .554 OPS in 40 games from June 1 to July 20, one day before he arrived at Dodger Stadium hopeful that he had found a fix for his swing.

Since then, Freeman has hit safely in nine of 10 games, posting a .996 OPS in that span. But he doesn't attribute his improved results to his previous breakthrough, which involved trying to be more "in" his ankle.

“No, not thinking about that at all," Freeman said. "This time, just swinging it, hitting it. There’s no cue, no nothing right now. So we're not going to try and figure it out. We're going to try and keep riding it.”

Said manager Dave Roberts: "He's given himself a little bit more space to be able to shoot balls the other way, not be underneath. Even the [home run] ball today, he got to a fastball down and in, which he hadn't done much before that."

The Dodgers have been confident that Freeman still had performances like Friday's in him. It's part of the reason why they did not swing big ahead of Thursday's Trade Deadline, instead opting to improve on the margins.

L.A.'s biggest additions were righty reliever Brock Stewart and outfielder Alex Call, both of whom joined the team in Tampa. The Dodgers are ultimately banking on their talented roster fulfilling its potential, which could be more impactful -- and is certainly less costly -- than any splashy moves at the Deadline.

An ill-timed July skid shrank the Dodgers' lead in the NL West from a season-high nine games on July 3 to three over the Padres entering Friday. San Diego was aggressive ahead of the Deadline, with general manager A.J. Preller going all-in with an array of bold moves.

"A lot of teams got better, and that's what teams try to do that are competing at the Deadline," Roberts said. "But I think for us, I love the core of our club, and certainly with the guys that we have coming back. … I know it sounds trite and boring, but we got to play our own baseball. If we do that, I feel we're the best team."

The Dodgers' front office, led by president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, feels that the team has already gone all-in. Their season-defining moves took place during the offseason rather than this summer.

L.A. built a daunting pitching staff, adding Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to the rotation and Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates to the bullpen. All four are currently on the injured list, with Snell set to be activated to start on Saturday.

Michael Conforto had a rough first few months, although he turned in a strong July. Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández have not been the same since returning from injuries in May, and Mookie Betts has underperformed all season.

"As we saw last year, what's most important is to peak at the right time and hit our stride in that second half and be strong going into October," general manager Brandon Gomes said Thursday. "So the belief in this group, and what we can accomplish, is really strong and we feel great about what we can do.”

That relies on several unknowns going the Dodgers' way. It's not a given that all of the team's scuffling players will return to form, especially those who are returning from longer-term injuries.

But there remains confidence that a roster that was built to win will do just that when the games matter most.

"I think five or six months ago in Spring Training, we were talking about how great of a team we have. And we still have that great of a team," Freeman said. "Obviously, some of us haven't played as well, so it's on us to get going. And a few of us are getting going right now. I think we're going to be just fine going forward.”