LOS ANGELES — Freddie Freeman said there was "no concern" about the Los Angeles Dodgers despite their recent struggles.
One night later, the veteran first baseman helped prove it.
Freeman collected three hits and drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning as the Dodgers rallied past the Kansas City Royals 6-5 on Monday, snapping a stretch during which they had dropped eight of nine games.
The victory came after manager Dave Roberts acknowledged before the game that the Dodgers haven't played like contenders during the past month.
"We're a wild-card team right now," Roberts said before Monday's game. "We've gotta get going and play with urgency. … The 'We’re gonna be OK and we’re good,' – that’s not good enough. Clearly it’s not, given how we’ve
played over the last month."
Freeman drove in two runs, including the eventual winner after Shohei Ohtani singled and stole second in the seventh inning. He also knocked in Ohtani earlier in the game as Los Angeles erased an early three-run deficit.
"It was nice," Freeman said after the victory. "Fifty thousand-plus on a Monday night, it felt like the fans were trying to will us to a win tonight."
While Freeman delivered the decisive hit, the Dodgers also flexed their depth on the mound, sending out the first of two Cy Young Award winners on the mound for back-to-back days. Roberts enlisted Tarik Skubal to pitch for the Dodgers in the opener against the Royals. Blake Snell is expected to start on Tuesday, Aug. 11.
When the team acquired Skubal from the Detroit Tigers earlier this month, the Dodgers became the 12th organization in league history to have multi-time Cy Young winners on the same team at the same time, according to MLB statistician Sarah Langs.
Skubal managed to stay on the mound for five innings on Monday, but it was not perfect. He struck out six in 95 pitches (66 strikes), allowing four hits and three earned runs that made his Dodger Stadium debut feel a bit underwhelming.
"I thought I competed well and gave our team a chance to win," Skubal said. “Our offense picked me up big time, defense picked me up big time, and the bullpen was outstanding tonight. All in all, a good team win, especially when I don’t feel like I performed up to my standard."
Roberts stated before the game that he planned to give Skubal a longer leash in terms of usage, but plans changed.
Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior came out to talk with Skubal and catcher Hunter Feduccia during the fifth inning. The left-handed pitcher did finish out the game but wouldn't return as he was replaced by reveliver Alex Vesia.
Both Skubal and Roberts attributed the pitcher’s lackluster performance to an issue with controlling his fastball.
Skubal also admitted that there was some level of nerves ahead of the home debut but clarified that it wasn’t anything he hadn’t experienced before.
"I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but nerves are a good thing," Skubal added. "The day I don’t get nervous is the day I’ll retire."
Blake Snell returning for Dodgers
Snell was around the team Monday afternoon and was seen throwing the ball around in the outfield.
Snell has made his way back from an elbow injury after participating in a minor league rehab assignment for the organization's Triple-A affiliate. He pitched 3⅔ innings in a game on Aug. 4.
He struck out three batters on 73 pitches (41 strikes) but also allowed five hits, two home runs and four walks during the outing.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Freddie Freeman backs up confidence as Dodgers rally in Tarik Skubal's home debut
