CINCINNATI (AP) — Freddie Freeman wasn't in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for Monday night's game against the Cincinnati Reds as he deals with right knee soreness.
Even though the first baseman hasn't been in the lineup for three of the last five games, manager Dave Roberts said putting Freeman on the 10-day injured list to get him ready for the postseason — which would be similar to what they did with Shohei Ohtani — isn't an option at this point.
“I don’t think (the rest) needs to be 10 days, but could it be more than one? That’s a fair question,” Roberts said. “I’ve got to kind of talk to the training staff, Freddie, and ultimately make that decision. But I don’t think IL makes sense.”
Roberts said he didn't think Freeman would have nagging problems with the knee during the postseason if the knee can be managed properly. Freeman is batting .293 but is 3 for his last 30 with nine strikeouts.
The two-time defending World Series champions came into Monday night with a magic number of four to clinch their 13th NL West title in 14 years. Their bigger concern is making sure they clinch one of the top two seeds and a first-round bye.
The Dodgers (90-59) came into Monday with a 2 1/2-game lead over Atlanta for the second seed. Milwaukee (93-57) has the NL's top mark.
“Given where our guys are health wise, to get that week would be huge. We've still got to play well to finish out the season to get to that point,” Roberts said.
Ohtani, who has been on the 15-day IL since Sept. 8 due to right biceps inflammation, is to hit off a tee in Los Angeles on Tuesday. It will be his first swings since going on the IL. Roberts said Ohtani has been lifting, working out and getting treatment the past couple days.
With Ohtani not on the seven-game trip, there has definitely been a different vibe around the clubhouse.
“It feels different because he’s such a presence when he’s on the field,” Roberts said. “The last series wasn’t indicative, but I think that we’re playing good baseball for the most part. We know we’re better with Shohei. Probably the fans are disappointed, but I don’t think we really felt it.”
The bigger concern might be with reliever Edwin Díaz, who has allowed six earned runs over 3 1/3 innings in four rehab outings with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Díaz is not only dealing with neck inflammation, but also control issues. Díaz signed a $59 million, three-year contract during the offseason and has struggled in his first year in Los Angeles.
The right-hander will have another outing on Wednesday, but Roberts did leave open the possibility that Díaz could be left off postseason rosters.
"He needs to pitch better. It hasn’t been good,” Roberts said. “The baseball card looks great. But it’s like, where we’re at, there’s got to be something for us to be able to hang our hat on. And he knows that. He wants to pitch well.”
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Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman, left, and Shohei Ohtani watch from the dugout during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Emmy Awards are underway. “The Pitt” and “Widow’s Bay” are generating buzz as they compete for top prizes. The ceremony is also honoring the anniversaries of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Charlie’s Angels.”
Here are some highlights as the show roars into the night.
Mariska Hargitay kicked off the show with New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson in an exuberant, looney pre-taped bit that had her sing a version of “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, renamed “I Love TV Screens.”
The first-time Emmy host was seen relaxed in bed with “Hacks” star Jean Smart, ate a burger in a nod to “Beef,” rode a horse and drank bubble tea with Jennifer Coolidge.
On stage, she reveled in the fact that she was the first woman to host in 15 years. The star of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” entering its 28th season, also joked that she never had to pronounce the word “finale” and pretended to have words with Nicole Kidman over her cheesy AMC ads.
“She crushed it,” said Amy Poehler, who took the stage after the opening.
Jean Smart was predicted to win her fifth straight Emmy for “Hacks” and did it with style. “What a ride this has been,” she said.
It’s her eighth trophy overall, which ties the all-time performer record shared by Cloris Leachman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Allison Janney. Smart also becomes the first woman to win best actress for each season of a show’s run.
Smart, 74, who first got noticed in the CBS comedy “Designing Women,” won her first Emmys for guest appearances on “Frasier” and then another for a supporting role on “Samantha Who.”
On Monday, she kept a special thank you to the end — “Hacks” creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky: “It all begins and ends with them,” she said.
Just six months after the “Buffy” reboot was scrapped, stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz reunited onstage to celebrate the show’s 30th anniversary.
After Boreanaz mused whether their characters, Buffy and Angel, would ever get together, Gellar had a sharp retort referencing the cancellation.
“Guess we’ll never find out!” Gellar said.
She also acknowledged it had been a tough two years for the show’s cast and crew, implicitly acknowledging the recent deaths of actors Anthony Head (Giles), Nicholas Brendon (Xavier) and Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn).
Sofia Vergara made it to the Emmys this year to present supporting actor in a comedy, bypassing the emergency room. Last year, she had to bow out of presenting at the last minute after suffering an eye allergy just before the show.
In the hour before the show opens, the Peacock Theater lobby was as jammed as an LA freeway.
Women wearing long trains attempt to protect them from an errant shoe as guests bump elbows and brush backs trying to make their way across the lobby. It’s time to gird for the three-hour show ahead, which means buying $9 cups of popcorn, $8 hot dogs and $23 beers and cocktails to carry to seats. It doesn’t appear nachos are a popular item — too messy for folks in tuxes and gowns
Meg Stalter, a nominee for best supporting actress for “Hacks,” was dressed as an Emmy statuette, complete with wings and a coat of gold makeup. She even held up a sphere like the real trophy itself.
It was Stalter’s first time attending the Emmys as a nominee. She earned her first career nod for supporting actress in a comedy series for playing Kayla Schaeffer in the fifth and final season of “Hacks.”
Similar to the Grammys held across the street, this year the Emmys are having the biggest names seated at small tables with lamps on them in front of the stage.
Typically, the guests are seated in long rows like a movie theater. There’s still the same pre-show hobnobbing. It seems no one wants to sit down early, knowing they’ll be in those seats for the next three hours.
For more coverage of this year’s Emmy Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/emmy-awards
Jean Smart arrives at the 78th Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Host Mariska Hargitay speaks during the 78th Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Meg Stalter, left, and Paul W. Downs arrive at the 78th Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
