Freeman has been playing on a sprained right ankle for weeks and the effort has been appreciated by his teammates, but he has just one hit in his past 15 at-bats.

Roberts, who sparked the best comeback in MLB playoff history two decades ago, didn't show enough urgency Friday

Starting pitcher Jack Flaherty gave up three runs in the first inning and his velocity was down a couple of ticks. He walked the first two batters of the third inning, but Roberts opted to leave him in the game, hoping to save his bullpen. The result was an 8-1 deficit. Roberts stood by the decision.