Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts Pulls Cody Bellinger for Not Hustling, San Francisco Giants Win

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Cody Bellinger was the Los Angeles Dodgers' best young player in 2017, a slugger who won Rookie of the Year honors, set a franchise record for newbies with 39 homers and drove in 97 runs.

On Sunday, Bellinger became the poster boy for what is wrong with the slumping NL champions.

Manager Dave Roberts benched him for what he called a lack of hustle after Bellinger pulled up while legging out a double in the fifth inning of the Dodgers' 4-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

According to Roberts, Bellinger should have tried to go for third base on a ball that landed on the warning track in an area of AT&T Park known as Triples Alley.

Bellinger, the only Dodgers player to have more than one hit in the game, disputed Roberts assessment but wasn't upset.

Bellinger didn't stay on second base long. He was doubled off on a line drive caught by diving shortstop Brandon Crawford, and later pulled.

Los Angeles has lost five of six.

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