Designated hitter Cody Bellinger was already playing through discomfort from a fracture in his left middle finger when he hit first base awkwardly in the first inning of the Cubs’ eventual 7-3 win Tuesday against the Twins.
Trying to beat out a single to the right side of the infield, Bellinger lunged at the bag. As his foot hit it, his leg buckled, and he rolled up the line. Popping up in foul territory, he kept his feet firmly planted even as second baseman Brooks Lee’s wide throw from the ground to first base rolled all the way to catcher Christian Vázquez.
"Probably scared him a little bit, and he felt something initially but was fine moving forward," manager Craig Counsell said after the game.
Bellinger remained in the game after talking to an athletic trainer and Counsell. But it made sense that the play would raise concern. Last season, Bellinger missed almost a month with a bone bruise in his left knee after hyperextending it on a leaping catch into the Minute Maid Park wall.
He was still serving as the DH on Tuesday, as is the plan for at least the rest of the series, but the day before he said his finger felt better while throwing, but he was still feeling “a little sharper pain” whenever he threw “with a little bit of intent.”
He entered Tuesday hitting .292 in six games back from the IL. And he added another hit in his first at-bat Tuesday, despite the scary moment at first.
“Ultimately, keeping it simple and learning from the at-bats [where] I don't feel good,” Bellinger said of the key to the smooth transition back, “and just trying to make the adjustments from there.”
Why was it important to him to return, even when he was still feeling pain in his finger on some swings?
“It was good enough,” Bellinger said. “... Last year, with my knee, I couldn't play a certain percentage because I couldn't run. For this, I felt like it was good enough, and my swing was feeling pretty good going in.”
The Cubs’ three-game series against the Twins this week kicks off a stretch of 14 straight interleague games. Up next, the Cubs visit the White Sox and Guardians before returning home to face the Blue Jays and Tigers.
“Always, for coaching staffs, there's more prep work,” Counsell said of playing American League teams, “and there's more time spent trying to familiarize yourself with the team and who the players are.”
So far, the Cubs have done well against the AL, entering Tuesday with a 17-10 record in interleague games.
“Especially on the pitching side, there's more likelihood to go with just strengths, having less one-on-one battles… . And from the hitter's side, you're kind of making bets as a hitter when you're looking for stuff. You’ve got percentages and all that stuff in front of you, but you're watching the game probably a little more closely, taking your teammates’ input in-game and trying to do the best you can.”
There’s enough player movement, however, that some opponents come with more familiarity. Right-hander Pablo López, who started Tuesday for the Twins, had faced the Cubs four times before with the Marlins.
