Dodgers Notes: LA Favorites for Shohei Ohtani, Bold Call-Up Makes Instant Impact, Freddie Freeman Birthday Bash

In this story:
He's one of the National League's leading MVP candidates, and Freddie Freeman played like it on Tuesday, going 4-for-5 with a home run on his 34th birthday in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 11-2 rout over the San Diego Padres. That productive night raised his batting average to .339 and gave him an OPS just south of 1.000 at .995.
Other notable news included the surprising but deserved call-up of right-handed pitcher Kyle Hurt. The 25-year-old made his MLB debut after laying waste to all minor league foes in 2023, with an MiLB high strikeouts per nine innings rate of 14.8.
There's much more news along with that though, including a look at the Dodgers' chances to earn the coveted signature of Angels' superstar and impending free agent Shohei Ohtani this offseason. And Fernando Tatis, Jr? He's not having a fun time in Los Angeles. You can read on to find out what he's going through and all the news on your Boys in Blue below!
Your Top Headlines from Inside The Dodgers
- Dodgers Shockingly Call Up Top Pitching Prospect to Assist Playoff Push
- MLB Insider Says Shohei Ohtani Done With Angels, LA Favorites to Sign Him
- Dodgers Fans Continue to Troll Padres Fernando Tatis Jr Over PED Suspension
- Dodgers President Andrew Friedman Downplays Removal of Julio Urias Locker
More news from our friends at Dodgers Nation!
- Joe Kelly Target Return Date Officially Set
- Lance Lynn Views LA’s Playoff Success Hinging on Him and Clayton Kershaw
- Dave Roberts Calls Mookie Betts’ Season ‘Unprecedented’
- Former Dodgers LHP Rich Hill Placed on Waivers By Padres, Should LA Bring Him Back?
Dodgers Tweets of the Day
Lance Lynn came back out for the 7th inning and didn’t allow a run. His now final line:
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) September 13, 2023
7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. He threw 110 pitches. Pretty awesome stuff.
After his single and homer tonight, Freddie Freeman is now hitting .400/.436/.680 on his birthday (20 for 50) with 4 HR, 12 RBI
— Eric Stephen (@ericstephen) September 13, 2023
Welcome to The Show, Kyle Hurt! pic.twitter.com/vJmMnLzwM3
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 13, 2023

Matt Wagner was born and raised in southern California, and he lived there before moving to Colorado and getting his B.A. in Communications from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2022. He relocated back to southern California in 2023 and is looking forward to covering the teams that mean so much to his home area. Some of his past work is in Bleacher Report, Dodgers Tailgate, and, most recently, Colorado Buffaloes Wire. Aside from writing, you can probably catch him petting the nearest dog or eating some good Mexican food.