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Jeff Passan, ESPN
NEW YORK — All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman is not in the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ starting lineup for Game 4 of the National League Championship Series as he continues to nurse a lingering ankle injury.
Freeman has played in seven of the Dodgers’ eight games this postseason after badly spraining his right ankle Sept. 26 against San Diego. Typically a power threat, he has seven hits — all singles — in 27 at-bats.
With left-hander Jose Quintana poised to start for the New York Mets, Los Angeles opted Thursday for a mostly right-handed lineup. Teoscar Hernandez will move into the No. 3 hole typically occupied by Freeman, and Kiké Hernández, who has played center field, will move to third base while Max Muncy shifts across the diamond to fill Freeman’s spot at first.
The Dodgers lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 after an 8-0 victory in Game 3 on Wednesday night.
Freeman, a former MVP and eight-time All-Star, has undergone hours of treatment daily to prepare to play. He also missed Game 4 of Los Angeles’ division series win against San Diego.
Freeman, 35, was not in the Dodgers’ pregame lineup before Game 1 of the division series, either, but he was penciled into the lineup card just before game time and proceeded to get two hits.
“He’s in a lot of pain out there,” Los Angeles catcher Will Smith said. “You can see it when he’s running and all that. But he’s inspiring us as players, as a teammate. Willing to put his body on the line. It’s impressive. It gets us going. We love when he’s in there. He’s been swinging it good for us. Unfortunately he’s not in there today, but I know he’s back in there tomorrow.”