SAN DIEGO -- Cody Bellinger’s offensive statistics have steadily declined over the second half, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated that, in addition to the fatigue of a long season, it could be a case of MVP-itis.
“When you’re in -- which I’ve never been a part of -- an MVP race, that might bleed in a little bit,” Roberts said. “It’s certainly not pressure, but I think there’s a thought to when you’re looking at the result of hitting a home run, that just doesn’t happen by trying to hit a home run.
“Getting back to being a good hitter, he can carry left, center, right by just being a good hitter, and the walks will come. We get back to that, it’s going to help us win more baseball games. If he does that, the MVP will take care of itself.”
Bellinger is hitting .310 with a 1.057 OPS, 42 home runs, 100 RBIs and 100 runs scored. But since hitting .431 in April, he’s hit .271. Before the All-Star break, he hit .336 with a 1.124 OPS. Since the All-Star break, he’s batting .250 with a .907 OPS.
“The thing I see, with Cody coming into the season, his mindset was to be a really good hitter and be consistent in his mindset and approach,” said Roberts. “For me, when you try to slug, there’s pitches in at-bats that you miss, you foul off, you pop up, you swing and miss. Getting him back to the mindset of being a good hitter, and the fact that his swing has built-in loft, then he’ll, in turn, slug.
“You can’t expect a .400 average for six months, but I do think he can get back to become a good hitter. The slug, the on-base, will all come together.”
Worth noting
• The Dodgers activated catcher Russell Martin from the bereavement list on Tuesday and optioned catcher Austin Barnes to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
• Rich Hill threw a 30-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday, mixing in 10 curveballs for the first time since injuring his forearm. Hill said all went well and Roberts said Hill next will throw two innings “up and down” on Friday or Saturday.
• Roberts said Ross Stripling was scheduled to throw two innings in Arizona at the Dodgers' Spring Training complex on Tuesday, Julio Urias would pitch for Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday and Dylan Floro would pitch for Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday. Stripling is rehabbing a right biceps, Urias is on suspension and Floro has been out with a left intercostal strain.