Bellinger homers and stars defensively with two outfield assists to top Mets
by Rowan Kavner
Cody Bellinger still leads all of baseball in every slash line category. He still has the most hits, the most runs and the most RBI. He’s still near the top in home runs, adding a 19th to his tally Monday night.
And, as his second outfield assist of the night in the eighth inning of Monday’s 9–5 win against the Mets helped demonstrate, he could very well be the best defensive right fielder in baseball as well.
His manager certainly thinks so.
“I don’t know if they give out Gold Gloves in May,” said Dave Roberts, “but it’s hard to see it play out any other way. The foot speed, the glove, the arm tonight.”
Bellinger, who had played a total of 38 innings in right field prior to the 2019 season, recorded his sixth and seventh outfield assists of the year, which lead all Major League right fielders. He saved his best for last as the Mets tried to mount a comeback on the Dodger bullpen.
The Dodgers led 8–3 before the Mets tacked on two runs in the eighth inning. In a game started by Clayton Kershaw — who had to grind to provide the Dodgers with his seventh quality start in eight starts this season — and in which the Dodgers knocked out Mets ace Jacob deGrom after five innings, Roberts didn’t want to mess around any longer with the potential go-ahead run at the plate.
With the bases loaded, he turned to Kenley Jansen for a five-out save.
“That’s a game that we need to win,” Roberts said. “I just thought it made sense.”
J.D. Davis, who had homered earlier in the night, sent a fly ball to deep right field. Bellinger said he thought Davis got jammed initially, forcing him to backpedal as the ball continued carrying into deep right field, well aware the runners would tag and try to advance.
He still made the catch with enough momentum going forward to throw on a line — not to home, but to third, where his miraculous heave got to Justin Turner in time to get Carlos Gomez out before Tomas Nido made it home. The Dodgers maintained their three-run lead.
“Mentality was just throw it as hard as I could,” Bellinger said. “I didn’t think I had a chance at home, so I just set my sights at third.”
It was one of three outfield assists on the day for the Dodgers.
“It’s incredible,” Kershaw said. “I could’ve easily given up five runs today and put our team out of a chance to win.”
The first of those three outfield assists also came from Bellinger, helping Kershaw in the first inning by throwing Michael Conforto out at home on a perfect tag from Russell Martin after Todd Frazier’s single. Despite four Mets batters reaching base in the inning, only one scored.
Roberts said he can’t think of anyone he’s managed or played with that he can compare to his right fielder right now.
“You’re talking about slug, average, on-base, first to third, stolen bases, you’re talking about catching the baseball, outfield assists, all that stuff,” Roberts said. “That part of it, I haven’t seen anything like it.”
In a game Kershaw won despite allowing a season-high 10 hits, he said he’s thankful just to be part of a great team that can pick him up both offensively and defensively.
Kershaw, who’s gone at least six innings in every start this year, improved to 5–0 on the year. The Dodgers have now won 16 consecutive regular season games Kershaw has started. That ties a Dodger record, which was already set by Kershaw in 2017.
Later, with the Dodgers nursing a 2–1 lead in the fifth inning, Kershaw’s defense came through again to save another run when a relay from Joc Pederson to Corey Seager to Martin got Nido out at the plate.
“The relays, Belly’s throws, Russell’s tag, we do everything well as a team offensively, defensively,” Kershaw said. “It’s really impressive.”
Two runs would follow in the inning as the Mets jumped ahead, but a six-run Dodger sixth inning would erase the damage done, sparked by a pinch-hit three-run home run from Kiké Hernández that broke the game open after deGrom’s departure. The Dodgers sent 11 batters to the plate and forced the Mets to use three different pitchers in the sixth inning alone.
Pederson finished the night with his fourth straight multi-hit game, recording three singles. Chris Taylor hit a home run as part of the Dodgers’ breakout sixth inning and recorded hits in each of his last three at-bats.
In the last four games, the Dodgers have totaled 55 hits. They only needed one from Bellinger on Monday, though it was another deep blast.
After his throw to third base to end the eighth inning, he got another chance to hit. He stepped out of the box for a moment, needing to refocus as “MVP” chants rang down.
“It was special, for sure,” Bellinger said.
