PITTSBURGH -- Dodgers first baseman
\n\nDodgers manager Dave Roberts [tweaked the lineup a few times before the game](https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/joe-kelly-placed-on-bereavement-list), all in the No. 2-6 spots, trying to set his team up best for success against the Pirates’ “opener” strategy. Does he take any credit for what happened in the first inning, fueled by that portion of the order?\n\n“Nope,” he said. “There’s a lot of thought that went through it but, obviously, it takes good players to execute, and they did that.”\n\nFreese is no stranger to timely execution. He’s known as Mr. Game 6 in St. Louis for his 11th-inning walk-off homer in the 2011 World Series, which forced a Game 7 that the Cardinals would eventually win. After Freese was acquired by the Dodgers last year at the August trade deadline, just hours before the Aug. 31 cutoff, he helped the club advance to its second World Series in a row and went 5-for-12 with a triple and a homer there.\n\nBut in the regular season for the Dodgers, he’s been used in all kinds of ways. One day, he’ll earn his way into the starting lineup. The next, he might come off the bench. Platoon decisions often factor into when Roberts calls on Freese, an everyday starter for the majority of his career.\n\nThat unselfishness and his storied track record has resonated with the Dodgers manager and the rest of the team.\n\n“He walks the walk,” Roberts said. “Everyone wants to be in there, and David’s no exception, but understanding the talent on our roster -- when a guy like that can succumb to a certain role or be ready when called upon, that resonates in that clubhouse. So when you get him doing that, then everyone falls in line.”
It’s easy to get caught gazing at the stars of this powerful LA roster. There’s