Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is standing by struggling slugger Cody Bellinger.
Bellinger went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in Game 3 of the World Series on Friday night and is now 0-for-11 in the series with seven strikeouts. The first question Roberts was asked at his press conference after the game was whether he would give Bellinger a day off in Game 4.
“I don’t see giving him a day off,” Roberts said. “There were a couple of good swings. He’s just in that funk right now where he’s chasing balls out of the strike zone. I think the defense is obviously a premium, and the presence of him to be in the lineup. But it’s just trying to get Cody to slow down a little bit. He’s trying his hardest, he’s trying his tail off.”
Bellinger is absolutely in a funk, but there’s plenty of reason to have confidence in him. A 39 home run hitter in the regular season, Bellinger had hits in six of the eight NLDS and NLCS games, including two doubles, two home runs and four RBIs. The Dodgers need to remain confident in him and hope their faith pays off, because they need him to produce in order to win the series.
