Cody Bellinger rocks 12th homer of season to lift Los Angeles

Cody Bellinger saved the Dodgers with his 12th homer of the season in extra innings.

Friday night in Milwaukee proved to be a special kind of game for Cody Bellinger and the Dodgers. With Los Angeles bouncing between first and third in their division, an extra innings win was much needed.

Now with a tough road win under their belt, the question of the day remains to be their consistency. They won’t win the division if they continue to fluctuate.

Colorado and Arizona have proven to be legitimate threats. Cody Bellinger isn’t just another rookie, though.

And he’s ready to be that difference maker for them.

Winning close games like this one in Milwaukee is more important than meets the eye. It gets the Dodgers ready for playoff type baseball, even though it’s still early on.

One of the major problems they had against the Cubs in last year’s NLCS was the inability to stay as hot offensively. Should they meet again or Los Angles play an offense oriented team in the playoffs, Bellinger’s bat looks like it’ll be the x-factor.

More and more, the team is looking very smart for calling up the rookie. Before his latest moon shot, Bellinger was named the NL Rookie of the Month for May.

It’s not just his offense where he’ll be a factor for Los Angeles the rest of the way, either. With Adrian Gonzalez not being fully healthy earlier in the season, he could very well be the successor at first base.

He’s been versatile getting other runs in as much as getting himself across home plate. With 30 RBI to show for it and a .252 batting average, there’s no doubt that Bellinger is the real deal.

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Eventually, however, the biggest thing left unsolved is how he’ll perform in the post-season.