Freeman eyes rest as Dodgers close in on first round bye

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are five games from the end of the regular season, and for all the noise surrounding October, Freddie Freeman knows there is still something worth chasing before the postseason begins.

The Dodgers took another step toward getting it Tuesday night.

With Freeman driving in three runs, the offense continuing its late-season surge and eight pitchers combining on a shutout, the Dodgers rolled past the San Diego Padres , 7-0, inm front of 46,066 at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium.

The win moved the Dodgers to 97-60, its 15th victory in its last 18 games, and kept the Dodgers one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the top seed in the National League with five games remaining.

The division has already been secured. The Padres, meanwhile, still have plenty at stake, with Tuesday's loss leaving San Diego in a three-way tie for the final two National League Wild Card spots.

For the Dodgers, the immediate target is simpler: one more win.

One more win would secure a first-round bye and give a roster that has endured its share of injuries and late-season wear a chance to breathe before the postseason begins.

Freeman made clear afterward how much that opportunity means.

"I feel like we've just been playing really good baseball as a group lately as well," Freeman said. "So we had to step up when guys went down, and that's a credit to the guys that have been going. But you want to be playing well going into the playoffs. We do. We need one more win for that bye."

And then, Freeman added, comes the part the Dodgers have been waiting for.

"Get some rest, and then have a great week of practicing going into the playoffs," he said. "But just swinging the bats at the right time. Hopefully, we can carry that."

The Dodgers' offense needed only two innings to turn Tuesday's game.

The four-run second inning began with two outs. Teoscar Hernández and Josue De Paula singled, and then Andy Pages , returning to the lineup after missing roughly four weeks with a fractured hand, was hit by a pitch on the left shoulder to load the bases.

Michael King began to unravel. The Padres right-hander walked Tommy Edman and Mookie Betts consecutively, allowing the Dodgers to score their first two runs without another hit.

Then Freeman did what he has done throughout his career. He brought the runs home. Freeman lined a single into center field, scoring Edman and Pages to make it 4-0.

In the fourth, Betts opened the inning with a ground-rule double. Freeman followed with another line drive, this one an RBI single to center, extending the Dodgers' lead to 5-0.

Freeman finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

The production came during a stretch in which he has been trying to make adjustments at the plate and find something that feels right with his swing.

"I mean, it's a little better," Freeman said. "I'm just happy I got hits when I needed to get hits today. The last couple of games have been a lot better, so hopefully, we're trending in the right direction when we need to."

The Dodgers have spent much of the season dealing with injuries, inconsistent stretches and players trying to find their rhythm. Now, with October approaching, the lineup is beginning to look more like the group the Dodgers envisioned.

"Kyle's been great. Teo has been hot," Freeman said. "Guys are starting to come back that we've been missing over the last couple weeks too. So good to see Andy back. You know Shohei coming back tomorrow. So a lot of good things happening for the offense lately."

The Dodgers are getting healthy at the right time

Pages' return was one of the night's biggest developments.

After missing the previous four weeks, Pages was back in the lineup and reached base twice, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a hit by pitch.

"Super happy to be back on the field," Pages said.

Asked how long he has been pain-free while working his way back from the fractured hand, Pages answered simply.

The Dodgers also activated Roki Sasaki , who made his return to the mound and threw one scoreless inning. Sasaki allowed two hits, struck out two and threw 20 pitches. He had originally been told he might pitch two innings, but the pitch count changed those plans.

"I was actually told to probably go two innings," Sasaki said, "but because maybe my pitch count got very high so I figured it would end up being just one inning."

Sasaki was also asked about the possibility of returning to a late-inning role during the postseason after having experience in that role previously.

"I'm just gonna try to make the most of every opportunity I'm given," Sasaki said.

The Dodgers did not need a traditional starting pitcher to shut down the Padres.

Instead, Dave Roberts deployed eight pitchers in a bullpen game, and the group responded by holding the Padres scoreless. Brock Stewart opened the game before Justin Wrobleski , Blake Treinen , Sasaki, Edwin Díaz , Kyle Hurt , Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer followed. Together, they kept the Padres off the scoreboard while the Dodgers' offense continued piling on.

Edman added to the lead in the sixth inning when he launched his eighth home run of the season, driving a 96-mph sinker from Wandy Peralta out of the park.

Will Smith provided the final blow in the seventh, hitting his 10th homer of the season to make it 7-0.

It was the type of complete performance the Dodgers have been looking for as the regular season winds down.

The offense is producing. Players are returning. The pitching staff is finding ways to cover innings.

And the Dodgers are one victory away from earning the opportunity Freeman keeps emphasizing. A week off.

The headline Tuesday belonged to Freeman.

On Wednesday, it will belong to Shohei Ohtani.

Dave Roberts said Ohtani will be activated from the 15-day injured list and return to the Dodgers' lineup against the Padres, giving the Dodgers another significant piece for the final five games of the regular season.

Roberts said he is still deciding who will lead off when Ohtani returns, with the decision likely to depend on the opposing pitching matchup.

The expected approach: Ohtani against right-handed pitching and Betts against left-handers.

The timing could hardly be more important. The Dodgers already have the division. They are chasing the top seed.

Freeman's message Tuesday was clear: the Dodgers aren't simply trying to finish the regular season. They are trying to enter October as healthy as possible.