Cody Bellinger Sets Rookie Home Run Record but Dodgers Drop Series to San Diego

Maybe they ate some bad fish, because the Dodgers are reeling.

Cody Bellinger broke the franchise home run record for a rookie, but Los Angeles lost their third straight game to the San Diego Padres, 6-4, on Sunday afternoon at Petco Park.

Needless to say, the two Southern California division rivals are two teams heading in opposite directions.

The Padres continue to rebuild and without a postseason birth to play for, are simply battling for pride and respect in the years to come.

"The guys are resilient," Padres' manager Andy Green told the media following the victory. "They've been that way all year. They believe in each other. They've played good baseball for an extended period of time after starting the season 15-30. You don't get the luxury of being a championship team by X-ing out the first month and half, but we're taking steps in the right direction."

The Dodgers on the otherhand, have the best record in baseball and are running away with the National League West. Nonetheless, the fact remains that for one week, the tables turned.

It's been a rough week for the Dodgers who have lost six of the seven games they played and overall have lost eight of nine. After losing their first series in over two months last weekend, they were swept for the first time this year by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and dropped three-of-four to the Padres, losing three straight series for the first time since 2014.

"I can assure you this won't break us," said Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts. "When you're the team we are, and you've had the season we've had, teams are going to want to go out there and play well against you. You're going to get the best from every team and that's supposed to happen. It's up to us to go out there and answer the bell. We haven't played great the last 10 days, but I can assure you when we get home, you'll see a much better team."

Erik Aybar and Jose Pirela both went deep off Dodgers starter Alex Wood on Sunday as San Diego won three consecutive games against the Dodgers for the first time in five years.

Wood, a 2017 Cy Young candidate, was activated off the 10-day disabled list before the game, but showed some signs of rust early on in the game.

"He couldn't keep the ball down," said Roberts of his starting pitcher. "I think he was a little bit rusty, and next time out I think he's going to be better."

Wood (14-2) lost for just the second time this season, and allowed four runs on seven hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in six innings.

"I think it's a statistical improbability to go an entire season without really getting punched in the face at any time," said Wood of his start. "It's kind of one of those things where we've been so good for so long that we have a rough patch for a week and it's like, 'Oh my God, what's going on?' It happens to everybody. The best teams in the world this happens to. We've just got to keep our heads down and keep playing the baseball that we're supposed to, and we'll come out of it and be fine.

The Dodgers gave Wood a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning after Chris Taylor crushed his 19^th home run of the season.

Entering into 2017, Taylor had only one homer in his career, but is quickly turning heads around the league with his high level of play this year.

The Dodgers lead would be short lived as Aybar hit a go-ahead two-run homer off Wood to left-center in the bottom half of the frame to put the Padres back on top.

Erick Aybar hits a 2-run home run for his 7th home run of the season!!! #LetsGoPadres pic.twitter.com/5FW1BfTBqT— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB_) September 3, 2017

One inning later, it was Pirela's turn to go deep for the Padres as he exacted a small amount of revenge against Wood who shouted at him during a game on June 30^th that saw both managers ejected over the incident.

Jose Pirela hits a solo home run for his 10th home run of the season!!! #LetsGoPadres pic.twitter.com/8kpXbQqPWh— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB_) September 3, 2017

The lone bright spot for the Dodgers this season has been the return of the home run swing for rookie Cody Bellinger. After homering in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, Bellinger went deep again in the top of the ninth for his franchise record 36^th homer as a rookie.

Cody Bellinger hits a solo home run for his 36th home run of the season!!! #LetsGoDodgers pic.twitter.com/Gwd6La8haI— TheRenderMLB (@TheRenderMLB_) September 3, 2017

Bellinger surpassed Mike Piazza atop the Dodgers all-time record for home runs by a rookie after Piazza hit 35 long balls in 1993.

"It feels great," said Bellinger. "To be in the same sentence as Piazza is awesome and to pass him is pretty special.

Up Next:

The Dodgers will have no time to sit around and think about the past week as they take the field on Labor Day at Dodger stadium against the Diamondbacks. Rich Hill will get the start in Game 1 opposite All-Star Robbie Ray.

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