The Los Angeles Dodgers again defeated the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night, extending their winning streak to five games and doing so without Cody Bellinger or Chris Taylor in the lineup. Only the latter was available to play — albeit in a limited capacity as a pinch-runner or defensive replacement.
Bellinger, who was spiked in his left calf during the ninth inning of the series opener, continued to deal with soreness. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Bellinger was going to have tests done out of an abundance of caution and an update would be provided after the game.
The Dodgers went on for a 5-1 win, and may be looking at a stretch without the former National League Rookie of the Year and MVP. “What I do know is there was no stress fractures,” Roberts said.
“There’s still residual soreness, so I don’t know what we’re going to do as far as IL, no IL. Right now, I think we’re in a decent spot. But even with that, I just don’t know when the return will be.”
Roberts added Bellinger did not suffer any structural damage as a result of being cleated, but ruled him out from playing Wednesday afternoon. “I think each day we’re going to know more,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers have flexibility both with their upcoming schedule and in potentially needing to place Bellinger on the 10-day injured list. The team is off Thursday, then again Monday, and further out on Wednesday, April 21.
IL stints can be completed retroactively for a maximum of three days. It theoretically allows for L.A. to delay a decision until Thursday, or even Friday if they are willing to sacrifice a lost day in order wait to determine if Bellinger can play against the Washington Nationals.
Bellinger is 4-for-19 with one double, one triple and two RBI over four games thus far.
Dodgers eager for World Series ring ceremony
The Dodgers starting the season on the road for the first time since 2016 came in an inopportune year as they are defending World Series champions. Their wait to play at Dodger Stadium will end Friday, when the team is due to receive their World Series rings during a pregame ceremony.
“It will be a pretty special day. Obviously I’ve never been a part of something like that, so I can’t really say what I’m looking forward to the most,” Max Muncy said. “So I’m going to go with everything. I think the whole day is going to be pretty special.”
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