Through the first five months of the season, the Dodgers were a middling offense against left-handed pitchers. As a group, they ranked 19th in baseball with a .711 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. That mediocrity prompted the team to acquire David Freese, a veteran corner infielder.
In the final month of the season, as the Dodgers surged to their sixth consecutive National League West title, the offense was far more formidable against left-handed pitching. The team posted an .831 OPS against left-handers in September, which was third in baseball, and not far from the team’s .860 OPS against right-handed pitchers that month.