The Los Angeles Dodgers head south to face the San Diego Padres with the series tied 1-1 and they'll be making a change for Game 3. Due to matchup purposes, Cody Bellinger will sit against Blake Snell, while Trayce Thompson and Chris Taylor are set to start in left field and center field.
“Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Chris Taylor and Trayce Thompson will start in Game 3 against Blake Snell. Cody Bellinger won’t be in center.”
This isn't the first time Roberts has made this decision. Bellinger sat in late September vs. San Diego with Snell on the hill. In just six career at-bats against the southpaw, Bellinger is 1 for 6.
Between the lefty-lefty advantage for the Padres starter and Bellinger's struggles, this makes sense. The Dodgers CF had a brutal year at the dish, hitting just .208 with 18 home runs. Through the first two contests of the NLDS, he's 1 for 6 with four strikeouts. Bellinger laced a single to left on Wednesday. That's his only hit.
There is no question the 27-year-old is out there mostly for his defense at the moment and we saw just that in Game 2 as he made a stellar catch in center. The question is, will Bellinger be back in the Dodgers lineup in Game 4? That remains to be seen.
LA sends Tony Gonsolin to the mound on Friday for a pivotal contest at Petco Park. That's bad news for San Diego as the righty owns a 0.71 ERA in two starts against them in 2022. This should be a good one.
Follow Us
Subscribe