Bellinger scratched after pregame flareup
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Reigning National League MVP Cody Bellinger was scratched from Tuesday night’s Dodgers lineup with a strained right lat muscle, and manager Dave Roberts said it was unclear whether Bellinger would play on Wednesday.
“It happened in the cage right before batting practice and he was swinging and felt it on his right lat,” said Roberts after the Dodgers beat the D-backs, 6-3, at Dodger Stadium. “It wasn’t the oblique, it was more the lat. And [he] just felt it tighten up, didn’t want to push it. He ran today, he threw today, he felt good and we just wanted to err on the side of caution.”
Roberts said no tests were taken.
Despite a slow start to the season, Bellinger’s bat has heated recently. He homered in each of his previous two games and is slashing .305/.406/.763 (18-59 AB) with eight homers and 15 RBIs in his last 16.
With Bellinger out of the lineup, Chris Taylor started in center field and drove in four runs.