Dodgers pitcher Alex Wood, first baseman Cody Bellinger stricken by food poisoning
Reporting from San Francisco — By process of elimination, Cody Bellinger was close to figuring out what caused his food poisoning on Saturday. He thought it was either a dinner of sushi or an order from room service. A clue emerged when another teammate came down with a similar condition: Alex Wood, who accompanied Bellinger to get sushi, spent Saturday at the team hotel nursing his own stomach.
Bellinger said he could not remember the name of the restaurant. It was a shame, he explained.
“The food was great there, though,” Bellinger said. “And I ate there before, and I was fine. But I was throwing up so bad yesterday.”
Bellinger felt a little better on Sunday. Manager Dave Roberts gave him the day off to rest. Bellinger entered the game in the eighth inning. He hit a double in the 10th to spark the go-ahead rally in a 2-1 victory. Bellinger was able to slice a groundball into left field and use his legs for the extra base.
“I just wanted to get on base any way I could,” Bellinger said. “It’s a beautiful thing when you don’t hit it at people.”
Wood rejoined the Dodgers on Sunday. He had missed his scheduled bullpen session while under the weather. The Dodgers shifted their rotation to give Wood time to recuperate. He will now start on Wednesday, with Hyun-Jin Ryu taking the ball on Tuesday.
Maeda shifting back to rotation
After logging a scoreless inning on Saturday, Kenta Maeda was not considered available to pitch in relief on Sunday, Roberts said. Maeda was skipped during this turn through the starting rotation after Friday’s game was rained out. The Dodgers expect Maeda to start a game next weekend against Arizona.
Maeda starred as a reliever in October. He returned to the rotation for the 2018 regular season, although his usage may change at times during the season.
Maeda is in the third season of an incentive-laden, eight-year contract. He receives bonuses for starts made and innings pitched. Roberts said he was not concerned about financial factors influencing his deployment of Maeda.
“I know that there’s something to starts in his contract,” Roberts said. “I don’t know specifics. I really don’t. For me, it’s better that way. Because I manage to what’s best for the ball club. And I think to Kenta’s credit, he’s open to whatever the organization feels.”
Short hops: Before the game, Roberts and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman presented Giants reliever Tony Watson with his National League pennant ring from last season. The Dodgers acquired Watson from Pittsburgh last summer and used him as a situational reliever. Watson had a 2.57 earned-run average in the postseason. He signed a two-year, $7-million deal with the Giants during the winter.
Follow Andy McCullough on Twitter @McCulloughTimes
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