Los Angeles Dodgers: Looking for a series win with some morning baseball

The Los Angeles Dodgers will be on television right in time for Sunday morning breakfast as they take on the Cincinnati Reds in the series finale.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a Sunday matinee game against the Cincinnati Reds which, because of the beautiful nature of time zones, will be starting at 10:10 a.m. Los Angeles time.

That means that the Dodgers will be playing right in time for Sunday morning breakfast with the family, coffee and all. It should be a fun game as well as not only is the series on the line, but Hyun-Jin Ryu is on the mound.

Ryu has been dominant this year, particularly in his last three starts. Overall, the Korean-born southpaw holds a 5-1 record, a 1.72 ERA and a whopping 18 strikeout-per-walk ratio. While the sample size is obviously small, that would be historic.

Taking the bump for the Reds is no slouch either in Tanner Roark. Roark has a 3.50 ERA on the year. However, opposing batters do have a .268 batting average against Roark this season, so the Dodgers should be primed to rebound from a shut out and win the series.

This series is not only one that the Dodgers should win but is one that would help the rest of the road trip. Taking that sour taste of losing a road series on the road again to the Tampa Bay Rays could create a snowball effect. Winning can do the exact opposite.

As part of our Los Angeles Dodgers Beat the Streak series, here is who we think will get at least one base hit against Roark and the Reds to help lead the Dodgers to a series win.

Jason’s pick (Current streak: 1): Cody Bellinger

It has actually been a while since we have picked Cody Bellinger as we have to mix it up and throw other guys in there as well. After picking a rookie in Matt Beaty on Saturday, it is time we go with the National League’s best hitter this year in Bellinger.

Bellinger does not have any success against Roark in the small number of matchups the two have. Bellinger has not gotten a base hit in the four matchups that the two have and has struck out three times.

While the national spotlight has been on Christian Yelich, Bellinger has been swinging a hot bat and even when he makes out is making thunderous outs. He is showing much better discipline at the plate and is the best pick in all of Major League Baseball to get a base hit on any particular day.

Bellinger is hitting .480 with two home runs, four RBIs and a .536 on-base percentage over the last seven days. Those trends will trump his career numbers against Roark and lead to yet another big day for Bellinger.