Dodgers notes: Freddie Freeman, Gavin Stone, Julio Urías

The Dodgers surrendered the most runs that they had allowed all season in Thursday night’s slugfest to the Cardinals, but there were some positives that came out of the defeat. Namely, Freddie Freeman reached a milestone to further his eventual path to Cooperstown, by connecting for his 300th career home run in grand style.

Freeman is no stranger to success in St. Louis, as he is carrying an average north of .390 with an OPS of over 1.150, the highest stats he has totaled against any team at their home stadium. He continued his domination in a two-hit performance with a triple and a grand slam, raising his average to .313 and his OPS at a .918 clip. Additionally, Freeman now has recorded a multi-hit game in six of his last eight games.

After becoming the newest member of the 300-home-run club, Freeman spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA post-game and reflected on how his teammates reacted to that moment, while also expressing a desire to regroup and focus on the games ahead after Thursday’s stressful contest:

“You wish you’d do these things in wins, but it’s still pretty cool... just enjoy it for the night, and tomorrow, we’ll worry about tomorrow’s game. Tonight was kinda cool... It’s kind of a cool thing to hear your teammates appreciate what you’ve done in this game, and with those kind of guys, it was nice.”

Links

• The Dodgers have dealt with injuries to the majority of their starting rotation, and that trend continued with Dustin May suffering a flexor prorator strain after pitching just one inning in Wednesday’s win over Minnesota. Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register offers ideas as to who will fill in for the injured May, naming top pitching prospect Gavin Stone as a potential candidate.
• Ron Gutterman of Dodger Insider shares how Julio Urías felt after another rough outing that saw him allow four home runs in the third inning, as well as now being tied for the Major League lead for home runs allowed on the season.