Suffice to say, 2017 National League Rookie of the Year, 2019 NL MVP, two-time All-Star, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger winner Cody Bellinger has had an injury-plagued season that he would rather forget. In fact, of the Dodgers 114 games thus far this season, he missed 57 of them due to a fractured left fibula and strained a left hamstring; this following off-season surgery to his right shoulder.

Upon his return to action on June 22 and after spending time at the Dodgers alternate training site at Camelback Ranch, Bellinger went 11-for-93 (.118) in the 25 games he played in July, with one double, one triple, two home runs, with seven RBI. He also walked eight times while striking out a horrendous 27 times.

…and then came August.

In the seven games that he has played thus far in August, the Scottsdale, AZ native and Dodgers fourth-round draft pick in 2013 out of Hamilton High School in Chandler, AZ, is 8-for-25 (.320) with two doubles, four home runs, seven RBI, with one walk and seven strikeouts. Two of those home runs came on Wednesday night in the Dodgers 8-2 pounding of the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in downtown Philadelphia. It was Bellinger’s first multi-home-run game of the season and his eighth and ninth respectively.

“I was working really hard with my shoulder during Spring Training. After that, broke the fibula and you get away from the shoulder, and the shoulder becomes tight again,” Bellinger said. “Now, I’m feeling healthy. I’m feeling good. The shoulder’s feeling good. The leg’s feeling good as well. Just continue to progress in the weight room, the training room, and that’s going to affect me positively on the field.”

“We need Belli to be Belli,” Dodgers left-hand and Wednesday night’s starter David Price said postgame. “He’s been swinging the bat a lot better the last couple of days, he’s hitting some homers, having really good at-bats.”

Although Price didn’t figure in the decision, he pitched four innings that were interrupted by a 57-minute rain delay. The 35-year-old / 13-year MLB veteran allowed two runs on five hits with one walk and one strikeout on 51 pitches, of which 36 were for strikes.

“It’s huge for everyone,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Bellinger postgame. “Obviously this is the guy that won the MVP. To count on him is not too farfetched. No one expects more from himself than he does. But obviously, when you’re looking at Mookie (Betts) being down and guys picking each other up, he’s part of that equation. It’s not just him. It’s everyone kind of doing their part.”

As Dodger fans know, Betts was placed on the Injury List prior to Wednesday’s game and flew back to Los Angeles for further tests for what is being called ‘right hip inflammation.’

With his 2-for-4 / four-RBI night on Wednesday, Bellinger has extended his hitting streak to eight games and helped his team to their fourth straight win. He now has six extra-base hits in his last six games and four home runs in his last four.

Keep being Belli, Belli!

Play Ball!

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