The Los Angeles Dodgers traveled to Salt River Fields to take on division rival Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, and it looked like it could have been a day for the Dodgers offense to continue their strong offensive production this spring as the lineup that manager Dave Roberts put out resembled what many expect come Opening Day.
That didn’t end up being the case though, as the Dodgers offense only managed five hits and one run, falling to Arizona, 3-1. Los Angeles’ lone run came in the top of the fourth inning and courtesy a familiar means.
Cody Bellinger stepped to the plate and quickly got behind in the count 0-2 against Diamondbacks reliever Michael Blazek.
But Blazek made a mistake pitch, throwing one in at 85 mph right down the middle, and Bellinger made him pay as he launched a solo home run to right-center field.
The home run was Bellinger’s second of the spring in 31 at-bats, and he’s now batting .258/.343/.516 with six RBI.
Los Angeles got some traffic on the basepaths throughout Friday’s game, but other than Bellinger’s home run they were unable to cash anyone in. The Dodgers left nine runners on base and went 0-for-8 with men in scoring position.
A bright spot was Walker Buehler, who looked good in another Cactus League game. He threw two hitless innings, with two strikeouts against one walk. The game also saw Corey Seager play the field for the first time this spring in a Major League game, which he came out of healthy.
