NEW YORK — After watching Freddie Freeman go hitless in five at-bats in Game 5, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he is considering benching Freeman for Game 6 of the National League Championship Series on Sunday.
This time, the decision would not be based on resting Freeman’s injured right ankle. It would be prompted by the 1-for-15 slump he is in.
“I’m going to have a conversation with him tomorrow,” Roberts said after the Dodgers’ 12-6 loss to the New York Mets sent the best-of-seven NLCS back to Los Angeles. “But I do think that his swing is not right. I’m certain it’s the ankle. We’ll have that conversation, but it’s certainly an option to not have him in there for Game 6, yes.”
Asked about Roberts’ comments following Game 5, Freeman said, “This game just ended. I haven’t even thought about it yet.”
The eight-time All-Star first baseman has been playing on a sprained right ankle suffered on Sept. 26. He was not in the lineup for Game 4 against the Mets so that he wouldn’t have to play on three consecutive days.
Heroic as it might be for him to play in significant pain, Freeman has not been productive. He was 6 for his first 17 this postseason, but the hits were all singles and they have dried up recently. Freeman is just 1 for his past 15.
He agreed with Roberts’ assessment about his swing. But he would not blame his injured ankle for the problem, saying instead that it’s a swing flaw that he has been fighting all year.
“It’s my cut swing. I’ve had it again,” he said of the mechanical issue where he ‘cuts’ his swing off too soon. “Same swing I’ve been dealing with since last September. It’s hard to tell (if the ankle is causing it) when it’s the same swing I’ve been dealing with all year. I’ll keep working tomorrow.”
Freeman came up with runners on second and third in the first inning on Friday and the bases loaded in the fourth. He lined out the first time and struck out the second time.
“I had a lot of opportunities. I just didn’t get the hit today,” he said. “We’re still scoring runs. Mookie Betts is Mookie Betts, Shohei is Shohei, Max is still looking great out there. If we get a couple other guys like me and Teo going here, we have a really good chance.”
Freeman said he will “get a lot of treatment” on his ankle again Saturday and then head for the batting cage.
“It is what it is,” he said. “I know what every day is like. I just wish I could do my routine. You guys know I’m very routine-based and I haven’t been able to do it. I’ll get to the field tomorrow when the training room opens to get my treatment and right after that get in the cage to try and fix this swing.”
ALONSO SPARKS RESILIENT METS
After a pair of quiet games in front of their home fans, the Mets’ offense erupted in Game 5.
Pete Alonso golfed an early three-run homer and the Mets hammered ineffective Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty while several of their slumping hitters coming to life.
Starling Marte had three doubles, four hits and three RBIs. Francisco Alvarez broke out of his slump with three hits – including an RBI single in a five-run third inning. Francisco Lindor and Jesse Winker each laced an RBI triple.
“We showed up today. We needed that,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Obviously, Pete setting the tone in the first inning was important. We just continued to add on.”
After getting blown out in three of the first four games, including the past two nights at home, the wild-card Mets saved their thrilling season for the second time in these playoffs – both with the help of a three-run shot from Alonso.
“After yesterday’s game, we just had a collective conversation where it was like, hey, this is it,” Alonso said. “This is who we are. This is the situation we’re in and let’s keep continuing to lay it all out there.”
Left-hander Sean Manaea is lined up to start Sunday for New York on five days of rest.
“We come from a lot of adversity” Mets closer Edwin Díaz said.
Alonso launched a low slider 432 feet to center field for his fourth homer this postseason. Alonso, poised to become a prized free agent this fall, also connected on a go-ahead shot with the Mets facing elimination in Game 3 of their Wild Card Series at Milwaukee. That one was more dramatic, coming with New York trailing 2-0 and down to its final two outs in the ninth.
But once again, Alonso went deep to help prolong his tenure with a Mets team that drafted him in 2016. The ball was just more than a foot above the ground when he connected, the second-lowest pitch Alonso has homered on in his career.
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“For the rest of us mortals, we fly out. But for him, it’s just an absolute bomb. Just normal Pete,” teammate Brandon Nimmo said.
The slugger also scored four runs and fought back from an 0-and-2 count to draw a leadoff walk in the third, when the Mets batted around and opened an 8-1 cushion.
“He got us going,” Mendoza said. “I thought that Pete did a really good job controlling the strike zone today.”
After striking out 12 times in their Game 4 loss on Thursday night, the Mets did not whiff once. They became the first team to do that in the postseason since the Angels in Game 2 of the 2002 World Series against San Francisco.
“I’m just so happy because this group is so special,” Alonso said. “And I’m happy that we get to live to fight another day and play another game of baseball together.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.