Cody Bellinger has been doing plenty of damage with his bat. He showed his defense is pretty good, too.
The 2017 National League Rookie of the Year on Sunday homered again and made two big plays in right field, while Max Muncy also went deep as the homer-happy Los Angeles Dodgers outslugged the Colorado Rockies 12-6.
Bellinger had three hits, including his major league-leading seventh home run, and has hit safely in 11 straight games dating to last year.
The Dodgers have 24 homers and have connected in all 10 games. They scored 29 runs and swept a series at Coors Field for the second consecutive season.
Bellinger has two more home runs on his own than the Dodgers had through 10 games last season.
“He’s covering a lot of different pitches, a lot of different zones,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s playing that cat and mouse, and picking his spots to release that barrel. The numbers speak to it — he’s dangerous.”
He can also play in the field.
In the first inning, Bellinger made a tough catch near the stands in foul territory to end Colorado’s bases-loaded threat. In the sixth, he threw out Trevor Story on a single by Nolan Arenado.
“If you can get both in one day, it’s a huge confidence booster,” Bellinger said. “I think everyone wants to do that.”
Joe Kelly (1-1) pitched 1-2/3 innings in relief to get the win.
Arenado had three hits and three RBIs, while Charlie Blackmon added two hits for the Rockies, but committed a pair of embarrassing errors in right field.
“It’s rare to see that, especially from Charlie because he’s steady, dependable,” Rockies manager Bud Black said.
Bellinger’s seven home runs are more than five teams have hit this season — including the Rockies.
“I just feel really good, and just trying to stay within myself in the cage and not get too ahead of myself, and give in to the hype,” he said.
Also on Sunday, the Red Sox edged the Diamondbacks 1-0, the Yankees routed the Orioles 15-3, the Angels defeated the Rangers 7-2 and the Rays blanked the Giants 3-0.
The Brewers defeated the Cubs 4-2, the Phillies edged the Twins 2-1, Indians beat the Blue Jays 3-1, the Tigers defeated the Royals 3-1, the Nationals outscored the Mets 12-9 and the Braves edged the Marlins 4-3.
The Pirates defeated the Reds 7-5, the Astros edged the Athletics 9-8, the Mariners thrashed the White Sox 12-5 and the Cardinals beat the Padres 4-1.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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