Freeman: Dodgers must score without home runs after NLDS Game 2 loss to Braves

Freddie Freeman said the Dodgers must find ways to manufacture offense after solo home runs accounted for both runs in a 3-2 loss that evened the NLDS at 1-1.

The Atlanta Braves evened the National League Division Series at one game apiece on Sunday, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in Game 2 on the road. The result marked the Dodgers' first defeat of the 2026 MLB postseason after they had taken the series opener, and it cost them the home-field edge they carried into the matchup.

Veteran first baseman Freddie Freeman, a three-time World Series winner, faced reporters after the final out and quickly named the problem he believes his team must solve. "Got to find a way to score runs without hitting home runs, so I think that's our biggest thing right now," Freeman said, in comments shared by SportsNet LA. "Get guys on base, get that big hit, and hope that our pitching keeps doing what they're doing."

The game appeared set up for Los Angeles. Working around thin pitching depth, Atlanta once again skipped a conventional starter and pieced together a bullpen game, handing the opening assignment to Ray Kerr. The makeshift approach succeeded, as Braves pitchers limited the Dodgers to six hits and watched Los Angeles manage consecutive baserunners only twice.

Solo home runs accounted for both Dodgers runs, illustrating the very tendency Freeman described. He supplied the first himself in the bottom of the fourth, a drive that made it 1-1 and stood as his first homer of the postseason, and he closed the night 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI.

Los Angeles still trailed 3-1 when it came to bat in the bottom of the ninth. Max Muncy connected for a solo shot with two outs to pull the Dodgers within a run, and the team sent up young Josue De Paula to pinch hit with a chance to extend the game. De Paula's popup to third base ended it.

The series now shifts venues with the teams level. Atlanta heads home having split the two games in Los Angeles, while the Dodgers travel having surrendered the home-field advantage they brought into the matchup.

Little relief awaits there. Los Angeles is set to face Braves ace Chris Sale in Game 3, and his recent work against the club commands attention. In his most recent start against the Dodgers on August 27, Sale threw a complete-game shutout and struck out 11.

For a Dodgers offense that managed six hits and nothing beyond a pair of solo home runs, the next assignment looms as a significant challenge. Freeman's message pointed the way forward: reach base, come through with the hit that brings runners around, and trust the pitching staff to keep holding up its end. Los Angeles gets its first chance to put that approach into practice in Game 3.