A bullpen that had taken better form of late faltered and as a result the Los Angeles Dodgers had their four-game winning streak snapped in a 3-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants. While the night ended in defeat, it did not pass without Cody Bellinger impressing yet again.
While the bulk of the attention he’s drawn this season has come from production at the plate, Bellinger showed off his arm in the series opener at Oracle Park. Following Brandon Crawford’s leadoff walk in the second inning, Kevin Pillar lined a single into right field.
But rather than Kenta Maeda facing a situation with runners at the corners and nobody out, Bellinger uncorked a 91.7 mph strike to third base to cut down Crawford. The outfield assist was Bellinger’s fourth this season, which leads the National League.
Then with runners on first and third base and one out in the sixth inning, Bellinger was in position to break a scoreless tie. He quickly fell behind in the count, 0-2, against left-handed relief pitcher and former teammate Tony Watson.
Just like he did on Sunday to help the Dodgers sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bellinger remained alive until pulling an RBI single into right field. It gave Bellinger 37 RBI this season, which are the most before May 1 in MLB history.
The record was previously held by Mark McGwire and Juan Gonzalez, who both had 36 before May during the 1998 season.
The feat was the latest in a long list of accomplishments for Bellinger. He’s tied an MLB record with 14 home runs prior to May 1, joining a rarefied group that includes Albert Pujols (2006), Alex Rodriguez (2007) and Christian Yelich (this season).
Additionally, Bellinger broke Chase Utley’s MLB record in total bases before May and Rafael Furcal’s Dodgers franchise record for most hits in March/April.
With one game remaining, Bellinger is in position to break a tie with Ron Cey and lay claim to the Dodgers record for most RBI in April. As it stands, both players share the all-time mark with 29 RBI.
