Tag: Cody Bellinger

LeBron James is pulling for the Dodgers to finish job, win World Series

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has turned into an L.A. sports super fan, cheering on the Dodgers to win the World Series.

LeBron James is hoping the Los Angeles Dodgers will follow the lead of his Los Angeles Lakers and do what they set out to do from the beginning of the season: win it all. The Dodgers are only a few steps away from doing that now after completing a 3-1 comeback in the National League Championship Series on Sunday night’s Game 7 against the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers face the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series, which begins on Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas.

James celebrated the comeback last night on Instagram with a picture of Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly’s iconic pouty face directed towards the Houston Astros, whom LeBron James hates (“listen here Baseball Commissioner”) like basically every other non-Houston sports fan, telling the Dodgers to “finish their breakfast.”

James’ calls are similar to the ones that Lakers voiced throughout the postseason, echoing the late Kobe Bryant, that the job was not finished until they won the championship.

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Video shows Cody Bellinger talking about dislocating his shoulder after home run celebration

OWWWWW!

The Los Angeles Dodgers are going to need Cody Bellinger’s bat and glove for the 2020 World Series.

So you can imagine the front office and his teammates might have been nervous when they saw him celebrating his go-ahead home run in the seventh inning that was eventually the game-winner … and he came up in pain after a forearm dap with Kike Hernandez.

FOX cameras caught the moments, as well Bellinger wincing and indicating his shoulder popped out. Thanks to Jomboy — who’s given us MLB hot-mic gems and lip-reads over the last couple of years — there’s a compilation of what happened with the defending NL MVP:

What exactly happened? Here’s the breakdown from USA TODAY Sports:

Bellinger dislocated his shoulder in the celebration, he told MLB Network, and retreated to the training room so it could be popped back into place.

“I hit Kiké’s shoulder a little too hard and my shoulder popped out,” Bellinger said. “They had to pop it back in so I could play defense. It kinda hurt.

“I’m going to maybe use my left arm (next time). I’ve never dislocated that one.”

Owwwww! No more forearm celebrations, right?

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Cody Bellinger’s reaction to his go-ahead home run in Game 7 was too good

Cody Bellinger hit this thing to the moon.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves are currently battling in a great Game 7 of the NLCS, with the winner getting a date with the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series.

While it’s been back and forth with some base-running blunders by both teams, the Dodgers took a one-run lead in the bottom of the seventh inning when Cody Bellinger hit a ball to the moon on a 3-2 count with two outs.

And his reaction to his bomb was pretty awesome.

The 25-year-old lefty hit a no-doubter to the bleachers in right field and he enjoyed watching the ball sail out of the ballpark:

I’m sure some baseball dorks who are into the dumb unwritten rues might not like it but I loved it.

Cody Bellinger’s face has become the best new MLB playoffs meme

So good!

The Los Angeles Dodgers are down 3-1 to the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS, so there may not be much more time to enjoy Cody Bellinger’s face in 2020.

Bellinger — who robbed Fernando Tatis Jr. of a home run in the NLDS and who continues to live up to the National League MVP award he won last year — has become a meme, maybe because cameras have caught him deep in thought, or looking a little spacey.

Whatever the reason is that he’s all over Twitter, I am thoroughly enjoying all the Bellinger face memes. Here are a few that have popped up this postseason in 2020:

These are a delight.

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Cody Bellinger robbed Fernando Tatis Jr. of a HR with an awesome catch and MLB fans were in awe

What. A. Catch.

Fernando Tatis Jr. has hit a couple of big home runs for the San Diego Padres in the playoffs this year and it looked like he might have had another one Wednesday night… until Dodgers center fielder Cody Bellinger made an incredible catch with his glove well over the wall.

It was a great catch at a huge moment because if Tatis hit that 2-run home run it would have given San Diego a one-run lead. Instead, the Dodgers held onto their lead in Game 2 of their NLDS and if they go on to big things in the postseason this play will be a key highlight.

Check this thing out:

Here are some cool stats on that play:

MLB fans rightly loved it:

2020 National League MVP odds, picks and best bets

Previewing the National League Most Valuable Player MVP odds, with MLB betting odds, picks and best bets

Unlike in the American League, where it’s Mike Trout against the field, the competition for the 2020 National League MVP is wide open — to the point that one pick ain’t enough, Jack. You better make it three.

As of 3 p.m. ET Sunday, March 8, BetMGM has 13 different players listed at +3000 or less:

  • Mookie Betts (+500)
  • Cody Bellinger (+700)
  • Christian Yelich (+800)
  • Juan Soto; Ronald Acuna Jr. (+1000)
  • Nolan Arenado (+1600)
  • Fernando Tatis Jr.; Bryce Harper; Manny Machado (+2000)
  • Javier Baez; Kris Bryant; Freddie Freeman (+2500)
  • Ketel Marte (+3000)

National League MVP: Breaking down the field

The first thing that jumps out is that two Dodgers outfielders top the list. Personally, I would lean to Bellinger over Betts because Betts is a career American Leaguer and has to learn many new pitchers. Dodgers dominance has become expected and the two may end up canceling each other out, barring a gigantic season from one of them.

What I’m looking for (and often find) is a guy who is head and shoulders the best player on his team, reinforcing the notion that “valuable” means where would that team be without that guy? It also helps greatly to be a playoff team — or at least a playoff contender into the finals weeks of the season. For our purposes, I’m giving myself a $500 bankroll and splitting it three ways (wait for it).

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I’m putting $150 on Yelich at +800. Entering his seventh season as a full-time starter, Yelich last season hit 44 home runs, drove in 97 runs, stole 30 bases and hit .329 to win his second straight batting title. And he did all of that in in just 130 games. He may not get quite the national attention that some other stars do, but he has MVP potential (and the 2018 MVP Award on his mantle), and a lot of times it takes a couple years of dominance to get deserved recognition. He fits well in that category. At +800, the value coming back is right.

I’m putting $150 on Acuna at +1000. Entering his third season, he has set the table for superstardom and a mid-nine-figure contract at some point. It’s not easy for a leadoff hitter to win MVP because his numbers suffer in terms of consistently having men on base when he comes up. But in his second MLB season in 2019, Acuna led the NL in plate appearances (715) runs scored (127) and stolen bases (37). And, by the way, he hit 41 bombs and had 101 RBI, anyway. If he drops his 2019 strikeout total (188) by 40, it means he makes contact 40 more times and the numbers will follow.

I’m putting $150 on Harper at +2000. He’s only a career .276 hitter and has posted — by far — the highest strikeout totals of his career in each of the last two seasons. But he has missed just eight of 324 games over the last two seasons and no player in baseball rides a hot streak longer than Harper. He’s Player of the Month material often. He’s +2000 for a reason, but a good dice roll at that altitude.

THE BET: Do a three-way parlay covering spots with Yelich, Acuna and Harper. However, our roll still has $50 left. How about throwing it the way of the gold standard Paul Goldschmidt? He has established himself as a mid-30 HR guy, but he is primed for blowing those out of the water. Over the last five years, he has played 791 of a possible 810 games. At +4000, he’s worth a chip-and-a-chair.

Want to get some action on MLB futures betting? Do you have what it takes to pick this season’s winners before the season even starts. Place legal sports bets online at BetMGM.

For more sports betting tips across all sports? Visit SportsbookWire.com.

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Watch: MLB stars Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger crush golf balls

Mike Trout is crushes a drive at Topgolf and it’s a viral video sensation.

Wanna see Mike Trout launch a golf ball to the moon?

What about Dodgers rising star Cody Bellinger?

The two Major League Baseball stars were among several players swinging for the fences at a Scottsdale, Arizona, Topgolf facility on Sunday.

They were all there for an event sponsored by The Pujols Family Foundation, a non-profit run by Angels’ slugger Albert Pujols and his wife which, according to their site, “focuses on Faith, Family and Others.”

Trout, a five-tool player on the diamond, proves that he can crank a driver as well. His reaction to the moonshot is pretty solid, too: A little flex followed by a huge ear-to-ear smile.

Bellinger also showed off his swing.

The lefty has a nice, slow takeaway and then lets it rip.

Trout and the Angels hold spring training in Tempe, while Bellinger and the Dodgers share a facility in Glendale with the White Sox.

With three more weeks of spring training, there’s a better than good chance Trout will be somewhere in Arizona sending golf balls, and baseballs, off into the distance.

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