Dodgers: Dave Roberts’ Latest Mistake is Pulling Bellinger

The Dodgers had a frustrating weekend as they lost three of four games to the San Francisco Giants.  On Sunday, Dave Roberts made his latest mistake in a month that was full of mistakes.

On Sunday, Dave Roberts made his latest mistake in a month that has been full of mistakes for Dave Roberts.  Cody Bellinger was pulled for supposedly not running out a double that Roberts feels should have been a triple.  Was there a real justification in that move for Dave Roberts?

I am going to go ahead and say the answer is no.  Sure Cody hit the ball to the right-center gap that is known as triple’s alley, but it wasn’t the ordinary ball that slowly rolls into triples alley.  For starters, Bellinger took a giant swing that saw him stumble to one knee after swinging.  That is what ultimately cost Bellinger a triple more than “lack of hustle”.  Bellinger did carry his bat with him down the first base line but he was not running slow.

There are many ways that Dave Roberts could have handled the situation if he really felt that Bellinger was not hustling.  He should have pulled Cody aside in the dugout and told him that he felt Cody did not run out his hit and missed a leadoff triple.  This would have given Bellinger a warning at least but to pull him out of the game is just an atrocious move.

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The move feels like it was a frustration move.  Dave Roberts has to be fed up with an abysmal start, especially since he is in the last guaranteed year of his current managerial contract.  Roberts did not need to take his frustration out on Bellinger and put the Dodgers in an even bigger hold chasing four runs.  With the Dodgers lineup already missing Justin Turner, I don’t see how Roberts could pull one of the teams best hitters just to prove a point?

If anything Dave Roberts just showed he is a fake tough guy.  The Dodgers have been the victim of more than a few bad strike three calls this past weekend in San Francisco.  Dave Roberts just sat down and let the Dodgers have to deal with multiple bad calls.  If Roberts really wanted to make a statement he should have went out, defended his team, and got thrown out of the game.  That would be quite the statement and possible spark for a team that has looked flat.

Now Roberts must deal with the possible repercussions of Sunday’s blunder.  Will Cody Bellinger and Dave Roberts have a bad relationship now?  Are the Dodger veterans going to be upset with Roberts for removing Cody from the game and shooting the Dodgers’ offense in the foot?  It will be interesting to see how the Dodgers respond especially since the Diamondbacks can smell blood in the water already.

Next: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes scouting report

Do you agree that Dave Roberts made a mistake pulling Cody Bellinger from Sunday’s game? Let us know in the comments!