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Dodgers: Bob Nightengale’s Cody Bellinger reverse jinx is impressive

Adam Weinrib
Adam Weinrib

Dodgers Way

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 11: Cody Bellinger #35 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a two run home run in the top of the fourth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on August 11, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

We’re not sure what woke Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger up.

Perhaps it was the strange overload of talent on the roster that briefly left him benched while at his lowest point.

Maybe his swing clicked just in time for the stretch run, quelling worries that the former MVP was stuck in one of those “nothing” phases of his “all or nothing” game.

Or maybe, just maybe, there was a little magic in the air this week. A plume of pixie dust that inhabited baseball writer Bob Nightengale’s fingers only briefly, allowing him to reverse the trends of history with a tiny chunk of words (all spelled correctly, no typos).

On Aug. 4, that fateful day, Nightengale did what he does best: succinctly pointed out Bellinger’s foibles, which (to that point) were an undeniable fact.

Even when Nightengale doesn’t ask a question of any kind, though, and instead simply lays out a list of statistics, his unique power still seems to work flawlessly. Since this tweet was sent, Bellinger has been on fire, laying waste to the Phillies this week yet again.

Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger was woken up by Bob Nightengale.

This Dodgers team has needed someone to step up on offense and cash in their enormous number of runners left on base. Following Mookie Betts’ recent hip irritation, the man for the job seems to have been — you guessed it — Bob Nightengale.

Though, yes, Bellinger has played some role in the whole thing, too.

After triple-slashing an admittedly horrendous .118/.186/.215 in 25 supposedly-healthy games in July, Belli has picked up the pace significantly once the calendar turned to August, socking .320 with a monstrous 1.250 OPS and four homers after getting some much-needed rest.

We’re not positive what breathed more life into the slugger: Dave Roberts giving him some headspace, or Bob Nightengale rattling off his ghastly stats, then crossing his arms proudly, knowing exactly what he’d done.

Down the stretch, the Dodgers are going to need this energized version of Bellinger daily to provide middle-of-the-order thump.

They just have to hope Nightengale doesn’t notice his turnaround and tweet about it.

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib is a Content Director on the FanSided network, and has been the co-editor at Yanks Go Yard and Dodgers Way for 4 years. He also co-hosts The Baseball Insiders Podcast twice weekly, alongside FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, as well as the Yanks Go Yard Podcast. Previously, he was a Senior Editor at 12up.com, and has been covering MLB and NFL for eight years. Previously, he was a headline and features contributor at ClickHole and Onion Sports, as well as the Associate Producer of the ESPN 30 for 30 film "Believeland". An avowed fan of the New York sports teams -- specifically the Yankees -- as well as the North Carolina Tar Heels, you can find Adam complaining mid-game on Twitter, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn if the game goes really poorly.