LOS ANGELES — This team just continues to roll. Julio Urias got back to his dominant self and Freddie Freeman continued his remarkable offensive tear in a sweep of the Oakland A’s. The offense supplied the run support and Julio Urias didn’t even need it, as he cruised to a scoreless start.

Urias was on his game tonight with all of the pitches in his arsenal looking sharp and with command, which is a sight that Dodger fans are used to, but haven’t seen lately. He went five innings, only giving up three hits, with zero runs allowed and five strikeouts. 

Freddie Freeman led this offense yet again, but in general the lineup continued to rake after a slow first four innings. Miguel Rojas had two doubles, Amed Rosario crushed a double, and Kiké Hernandez added two hits of his own. The 6-7-8 hitters in the lineup had six hits combined and provided much needed support for Julio Urias. 

It was a bit of a question mark as to why Urias came out of the game so early, especially since he only threw 68 pitches. But that is the reason that the Dodgers only had two arms throw tonight, as Emmett Sheehan took over after the fifth inning and finished the rest of the game. Sheehan only allowed two runs over four innings and in a surprise long relief role he did exactly what the team needed him to do and held the A’s to finish the game and get his first career save. 

Here are my three takeaways:

Freddie Freeman Is The Best Dodger Hitter Since Manny Ramirez in 2008

In the resurgent 2008 season for the Dodgers, a key reason for their run to the NLCS was acquiring Manny Ramirez at the trade deadline. He instantly turned the Dodgers into a contender and took over the hearts of Dodger fans with “MannyWood.” Manny slashed an incredible .396/.489/.743/1.232. However, this recent stretch from Freddie Freeman rivals that one, which in of itself is insane, but his numbers could be better. He is now batting .341 with a 1.016 OPS and is 10-for-14 in this series with six extra-base hits. The stat that is more remarkable is that Freddie is hitting with a .402 AVG in his last 31 games. He is locked in…

Kiké Hernandez Feels Comfortable Back in Los Angeles

Since being traded back to the Dodgers, Hernandez has a .333 BA, .364 OBP, .476 SLG, and an .840 OPS. Not to mention, he has played in both the infield and outfield at multiple positions and provided a few dance moves to this clubhouse as well. I truly believe that a change of scenery can do wonders for a player, and for a guy like Kiké, who is beloved here in Los Angeles, home is where the heart is. 

Crucial Arms Are On the Mend

There is no doubt that this Dodger staff misses Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler sorely, however there is good news on the way. Kershaw threw a sim game at Dodger Stadium earlier Thursday afternoon and everything went very well according to Dave Roberts. That is a sigh of relief for a staff that has not looked the same since he went down. 

Also, in what can be viewed as bigger news, Walker Buehler will start bullpens soon and possibly take part in a few rehab starts by the end of the month. This puts him on track to come back remarkably early in the first few weeks or so of September. Having both Kershaw and Buehler back may be a reason why the Dodgers didn’t force the issue at the Trade Deadline and this could make the staff scary if they return to their former selves. 

The Dodgers head to San Diego for a big series as Bobby Miller takes the mound against Yu Darvish for the Padres. First pitch is set for 6:40 PM PST.