The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the National League West for the 11th time in 12 seasons on Thursday night with a win against the San Diego Padres. They also secured a wild-card round bye in the process, an advantage that may come in handy immediately. That's because it ought to give All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman more time to recover after he rolled his ankle during the late stages of Thursday's game.
Freeman suffered the malady during the seventh inning, when he was attempting to avoid a tag at first base. He underwent imaging after the game, with x-rays coming back negative. Still, Freeman was in a walking boot after the game, and he's not expected to play this weekend, according to what Dodgers top executive Andrew Friedman told reporters. Friedman said the team's "not too worried" at this stage.
The Dodgers will close out the regular season with a three-game road trip to Colorado against the Rockies. Los Angeles possesses a one-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for the top overall in both the National League and Major League Baseball playoff picture. It's worth noting the Phillies hold the tiebreaker, so the Dodgers theoretically still have something to play for this weekend.
Freeman, 35, turned in another great regular season. In 147 games, he batted .282/.378/.476 (143 OPS+) with 22 home runs, 89 runs batted in, and nine stolen bases (on 11 attempts). His contributions were estimated to be worth 4.7 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference's calculations. He also made his eighth career All-Star Game.
MLB's playoff schedule dictates that the Dodgers will not play their first postseason game until Saturday, October 5. As such, Freeman will have more than a week to heal his ankle in the interim.
