The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped their third consecutive Cactus League game on Saturday afternoon, falling to the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-5, at Salt River Fields.
Despite the loss, there were positives to take away from the game for Los Angeles, as a lot of the Major League players who saw action performed well. That included Cody Bellinger, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a run scored and two RBI.
The first hit included a bit of luck as he lifted a pop fly to left field that was misplayed, resulting in it dropping in for a double. Bellinger’s second double was a beauty, though.
Bellinger launched a sidearm pitch from a left-hander into the gap to drive in two runs. Hitting lefties was something Bellinger struggled with last year, so it is definitely good to see him having success against them so far this spring.
2-for-2, 2 RBI and a pair of doubles? @Cody_Bellinger's out here workin'. #DodgersST pic.twitter.com/h2GRssu52j
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 2, 2019
Bellinger’s approach at the plate is something that he worked on this past offseason and he is getting results early. His third hit of the day was a line-drive single right up the middle.
The 23-year-old dealt with a minor back injury at the beginning of the spring, but has since gotten healthy and says he is feeling ‘great’ at the plate. So far in three games, Bellinger is 4-for-8 with a home run, with three of the four hits going to center or left field.
After being largely inconsistent for much of the 2018 season, Bellinger looks poised to return to his 2017 form when he was named the unanimous National League Rookie of the Year after hitting an NL rookie-record 39 home runs.
