Freddie Freeman’s futility continues in Game 2 of NLCS

ATLANTA ― Freddie Freeman has been called a aboriginal Hall of Famer and a Most Valuable Player. Rarely if ever has the Atlanta Braves’ archetypal baseman been called an “automatic strikeout.”

Two games into the National League Championship Series, fewer developments person been much astonishing than Freeman’s futility. Facing Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia successful the 5th inning Sunday, Freeman extended his streak of strikeouts to 7 consecutive at-bats.

After flying retired successful his last at-bat successful the eighth inning, Freeman finished the crippled 0 for 4. The El Modena High merchandise is 0 for 8 successful the series.

The Dodgers person mislaid each of the archetypal 2 games successful the bottommost of the ninth inning, sending the bid backmost to Los Angeles with the defending World Series champions successful an 0-2 hole. For each the problems the Braves person posed the Dodgers, the reigning MVP ain’t one.

Freeman batted .341, with a .462 on-base percent and .640 slugging percentage, portion appearing successful each 60 games successful 2020. That earned him a near-unanimous enactment for the NL MVP award; Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts captured the lone 2 votes that did not spell to Freeman.

This season, Freeman chiefly batted retired of the No. 2 spot successful the bid and deed an adjacent .300 portion starring the NL successful runs scored (120). He really chopped down connected his strikeouts during the regular season; astatine 15.4 percent, Freeman’s strikeout complaint was good beneath the league mean of 23.2.

In a four-game NL Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Freeman had 4 hits successful 13 at-bats, including a solo location run. He drew 4 walks and struck retired 4 times.

Prior to Game 1 of the NLCS, Dodgers pitcher Max Scherzer called Freeman “the champion hitter I’ve had to face.”

“I emotion facing him due to the fact that that’s who you measurement yourself against erstwhile you person to look the best,” said Scherzer, who squared disconnected with Freeman often during 6½ seasons with the Washington Nationals.

Entering Sunday, Freeman was hitting .234 (11 for 47) successful his vocation with 12 strikeouts against Scherzer. In the archetypal inning, Scherzer got Freeman to plaything and miss astatine a two-strike slider moving successful connected him. In the 3rd inning, Scherzer snuck an 0-and-2 slider past Freeman arsenic the bat didn’t permission his shoulders.

In the 5th inning, left-hander Vesia was connected the mound erstwhile Freeman stepped to the sheet with runners connected archetypal and 2nd base. After fouling disconnected a 95-mph fastball to support the at-bat alive, Freeman swung and missed astatine a slider from Vesia to extremity the at-bat.

The 7 consecutive strikeouts matched a vocation worst.

“We inactive person truthful overmuch respect for him,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He tin get blistery astatine immoderate moment. We’ve done a large occupation astatine containing him, but immoderate different guys we person to fig out.”