CHICAGO (AP) — Cody Bellinger was on a roll prior to his injury. He sure gave the Cubs a big boost in his return.
Bellinger homered and had three hits to help Chicago beat the San Diego Padres 3-2 Tuesday night after the slugger missed two weeks because of broken ribs.
“Obviously, you don’t expect to go out and get three hits,” he said. “But for me, it felt like I was in a good spot, obviously before the injury. And then working back, I just wanted to maintain it. A good first day.”
Bellinger batted third and was the designated hitter in his first appearance since April 23. The 2019 NL MVP fractured two ribs on his right side when he ran into the center field wall at Wrigley Field trying to make a play against the Houston Astros.
It was a sweet return for Bellinger. He extended his hitting streak to nine games and is 13 for 34 in that stretch.
Bellinger had the crowd cheering when he connected leading off the fourth against Randy Vásquez, driving a 3-2 pitch to the right-field bleachers for his sixth home run of the season. He also singled twice.
“You want to have your best players in the lineup, you want to be able to put your best team out there as much as you can,” manager Craig Counsell said before the game. “Getting Cody back puts us in a step in the right direction. We’re happy to have him back. He’s been a really good offensive player in this league. He’s been off a little bit, but confident that it was a short layoff and we can get him back in the swing of things quickly.”
The Cubs also placed right-handed pitcher Daniel Palencia on the 15-day injured list because of a strained right shoulder. They recalled right-hander Keegan Thompson from Triple-A Iowa and optioned outfielder Alexander Canario to the minor league club.
