Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger: ‘At the end of the day, I have confidence in myself and believe in myself’

PHOENIX — These person been trying times for Cody Bellinger, to accidental the least.

If it isn’t the injuries — a fracture successful his near fibula, a hamstring strain and present a rib fracture — it’s the flood of strikeouts, popular ups and alert outs that person dragged his batting mean and OPS little and lower.

“It’s my archetypal clip I’ve ever dealt with injuries. It happens. It’s been wild, I’m not gonna lie,” Bellinger said Saturday astatine Chase Field arsenic helium began moving retired successful mentation for a instrumentality from the rib injury.

“It’s been a grind for sure. It’s not fun. But astatine the extremity of the day, I person assurance successful myself and judge successful myself. … As atrocious arsenic it’s been, I inactive consciousness truly bully and assured and excited and each that benignant of stuff. I’m successful a bully spot.”

Bellinger is presently connected the Injured List with the rib fracture suffered erstwhile helium collided with Gavin Lux connected a play successful the outfield during the Dodgers’ crippled against the Arizona Diamondbacks connected Sept. 13.

“I retrieve walking backmost and thinking, ‘Dang, helium got maine a small bit.’ But I thought the upwind got knocked retired of me,” Bellinger said. “So the adjacent time I was going to deed aboriginal but it benignant of hurt. I thought I knew what a breached bony feels like. It wounded but I didn’t deliberation it was broken. During the crippled with the adrenaline and each that, it didn’t hurt. I don’t cognize if I did thing successful the 3rd oregon 4th crippled but aft that disconnected time successful Cincy, I was successful pain.

“We got it checked retired and it showed a crack.”

Bellinger said the symptom has gone from “pretty crisp a week agone oregon a fewer days ago” to “dull present — playable, I’d say.” He went done a afloat workout connected the tract Saturday and could instrumentality arsenic soon arsenic Tuesday.

When helium does it volition beryllium with immoderate plaything adjustments helium made successful the week oregon truthful earlier suffering the rib injury. Bellinger lowered his hands and dispersed retired his stance — changes helium admits helium was reluctant to make.

“You person occurrence and it’s hard to alteration what you’ve had occurrence with,” Bellinger said. “But I recognize my assemblage isn’t what it was successful the years past due to the fact that of the (shoulder) country and each that worldly — blah blah blah. Had to marque an adjustment. I consciousness shorter. I consciousness much compact and I felt good. Unfortunately I got wounded close aft I did it.

“It’s a crippled of adjustments. I consciousness assured close now.”

But Bellinger’s mean has been beneath .200 since the Fourth of July, his OPS nether .600 since mid-August. What took truthful agelong to marque those adjustments?

“I won Rookie of the Year and MVP with the hands up here,” Bellinger said honestly. “But it came to a constituent wherever I was, ‘Alright, I’m connected my transportation but I’m not hitting it. Let’s marque an adjustment.’”

Bellinger volition bring a implicit caller look erstwhile helium steps successful the batter’s container again. He showed up astatine Chase Field Friday with his agelong hairsbreadth shorn to a buzz chopped — possibly a superstitious effort to alteration his luck this season?

“I mean, hey, it wasn’t me. Had to beryllium the hair,” Bellinger joked. “Honestly it (his agelong hair) was getting annoying. Now I consciousness fresh.”

OUTFIELD LOOK

Chris Taylor was backmost successful the starting lineup Saturday for the archetypal clip since Sunday successful Cincinnati and lone the 3rd clip successful the Dodgers’ past 12 games. But it was successful near tract — wherever helium made 2 outstanding plays successful the ninth inning Friday nighttime — not halfway field.

Gavin Lux stayed successful halfway field. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Lux feels much comfy determination than near field, having played astir each of his vocation successful the mediate of the tract (second basal and shortstop). It besides allows Taylor to tally a small little arsenic helium tries to play done a cervix injury.

AJ Pollock was not successful the lineup Saturday aft starting the erstwhile 2 games. Pollock is inactive not afloat recovered from the hamstring strain that landed him connected the Injured List and Roberts acknowledged helium volition person negociate playing clip for some Pollock and Taylor.

“I deliberation that’s what it is — I deliberation it’s managing,” Roberts said. “They’re some invaluable to our ballclub, being successful determination starting oregon disconnected the bench. but astir importantly we’ve got to support them some healthy. Getting AJ retired of games, managing CT’s starts I deliberation volition beryllium beneficial. Certainly the mode Gavin has played has made things amended for each of us.”

UP NEXT

Dodgers (LHP Julio Urias 18-3, 3.10 ERA) astatine Diamondbacks (RHP Humberto Mejia 0-2, 7.20 ERA) Sunday 1:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM