Dodgers' star first baseman Freeman's resurgence is more crucial than the team's trade reinforcements.

Following nearly two months of struggles, Freddie Freeman is regaining his peak form. In today’s 5-0 shutout against the Rays, this All-Star first baseman contributed two RBIs with a double to right field, followed by a 111.2 mph home run in the fifth inning, marking his comeback with three RBIs in a single game—his fourth multi-hit performance in the last eight games signals a turning point in his batting.

Between June and late July, Freeman experienced a slump with a .199 batting average and a .554 OPS over 40 games. However, since claiming on July 21 that he had "corrected his swing mechanics," he has recorded hits in nine of his last ten games, with his OPS soaring to .996. He casually remarked, "At this moment, my mind is free of technical adjustments; I'm purely focused on swinging and hitting. No need to overanalyze; just maintain the form."

Manager Dave Roberts pointed out the key: "He’s creating a larger hitting space and enhancing his ability to hit the opposite way, even today’s home run was a precise capture of a low inside fastball—something we rarely see." The Dodgers have always believed in Freeman's ability to regain this performance, which is also the main reason they did not make significant acquisitions before the trade deadline. The team only made marginal additions, bringing in relief pitcher Brock Stewart and outfielder Alex Call.

The decline in July caused the Dodgers' lead in the NL West to shrink from nine games on July 4 to just three games before today’s game. Padres general manager A.J. Preller made aggressive moves at the deadline, to which Roberts responded, "Every contending team is strengthening, but we firmly believe in the potential of our current core roster. We must focus on our own games to showcase our strongest capabilities."

The front office, led by baseball operations president Andrew Friedman, believes that acquiring Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, and Kirby Yates during the offseason to form a strong pitching staff was a significant effort (all four are currently on the injured list, with Snell expected to start on Sunday). In terms of the batting lineup: Michael Conforto struggled before July; Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández have yet to regain their form since returning from injury in May; Mookie Betts has not met expectations throughout the season.

General manager Brandon Gomes emphasized yesterday, "As demonstrated last year, the key is to peak at critical moments and to build the best form before the playoffs. We are confident in this." Freeman echoed, "The strong foundation recognized during spring training is still there; some players need to adjust quickly—many are already back on track, and the outlook remains bright."