Whicker: Cody Bellinger finds a blast from his past, keys Dodgers’ Game 2 victory

SAN FRANCISCO — The Dodgers were comparatively casual connected Cody Bellinger erstwhile helium returned to the dugout, with Game 2 successful his pocket.

Maybe they remembered past year, and the eventual solemnisation penalty.

They watched him travel to the sheet successful the sixth inning, bases loaded and 1 retired and 3 Dodgers aboard against a struggling reliever, Dominic Leone. It was ambrosia with a cherry connected apical for the Bellinger that utilized to be, and that 1 revisited Oracle Park with a coagulated treble into the left-center spread connected the archetypal pitch.

That sent location 2 Dodgers and enactment them up, 4-1. It was 6-1 erstwhile the inning ended and 9-2 for the record, and L.A. tied the best-of-five National League Division Series, 1-1.

“I thought CT (Chris Taylor) acceptable up the momentum of that inning with his locomotion (which loaded the bases), and that helped maine simplify my plan,” Bellinger said.

Muscles bash person memories, agelong ones astatine times. Perhaps this tin marque Bellinger hide his year-long enactment successful the bottomless pit.

The ordeal started with affable fire. Bellinger homered to triumph Game 7 of the NL Championship Series implicit the Braves. Among those who greeted him was Kiké Hernandez, whose precocious arm-bash knocked Bellinger’s enarthrosis wide retired of its joint.

Bellinger deed .136 with 1 location tally successful the six-game World Series triumph implicit Tampa Bay, past had a enarthrosis operation. Rehab kept starring to rehab, acknowledgment to a hairline fracture successful his leg, a hamstring problem, a non-displaced breached rib.

It has each led to a precocious sprain of a season.

Bellinger was constricted to 85 games. The absurdly talented 2017 NL Rookie of the Year and 2019 NL Most Valuable Player was the astir consistently unproductive hitter successful the league.

In a spectacular illustration of however batting mean is not ever deceptive, helium deed .165. Of much interest was his .240 on-base percentage, and the information that 26.9 percent of his at-bats ended successful a strikeout.

Through it each Bellinger has not forsaken his velocity oregon defense, which is wherefore helium continued to play. Hitting has ever been a riddle for him, and his slumps tin resistance connected for weeks. Even past twelvemonth helium lone deed .239 with an OPS of .789. The twelvemonth before, his OPS was 1.035.

In 2018 Bellinger dropped 14 location runs and 21 RBIs from his rookie season, and helium did truthful portion helium played 30 much games. Then helium roseate up to triumph the NLCS MVP. Maybe the Dodgers volition ever person to enactment up with his extremes, but his apical extremity is truthful limitless that they person small choice.

Yes, helium is 26. Still.

“I’m not frustrated,” Bellinger said beforehand. “Physically I consciousness fine. It’s ever going to beryllium a cat-and-mouse game. Obviously determination were much factors into it this year, with what I had to woody with. But astatine the extremity of the day, it’s successful the past. I’m lone looking forward.”

Bellinger batted seventh Saturday night. It’s amended than batting eighth, which Bellinger did successful 17 games this season, his 2nd astir predominant landing spot successful the order. That was thing of a disservice, since a bully No. 8 hitter successful the NL sees astir thing to hit. Still, if merit meant much than the specter of embarrassment, helium mightiness person deed ninth.

“I effort not to deliberation astir my shoulder,” Bellinger said. “But it’s decidedly successful a amended spot than it was earlier the surgery. Now, it’s each astir strengthening it and getting the tiny muscles astir it beardown capable to support the capsule successful it. All that benignant of weightlifting and grooming stuff.

“It’s going to instrumentality a while. Adrian Gonzalez and Matt Kemp, it was astir their pb shoulder, too. I was rehabbing each done the offseason past year, and past everything happened this year. I deliberation having a afloat offseason is going to beryllium precise beneficial.”

The crippled besides belonged to Julio Urias. The Dodgers are 27-6 erstwhile helium starts. Here, the Giants were 0 for 5 against him with men successful scoring presumption and, successful the 2nd inning, helium dumped an RBI azygous into close tract erstwhile Giants manager Gabe Kapler walked AJ Pollock, a 12-for-80 beingness postseason hitter astatine the time, to transportation to him. Pollock doubled to thrust successful 2 successful the seventh, again with archetypal basal open.

The Dodgers lone led 2-1, with Giants flagging down their drives similar gymnasts, erstwhile Trea Turner doubled disconnected Kevin Gausman. Justin Turner walked, Kapler removed Gausman, and Leone walked Chris Taylor, who started this crippled and should proceed doing so.

Opponents were lone 7 for 40 this play against Leone with runners successful scoring position. But successful this archetypal bullpen faceoff, the Dodgers were undisputed.

The anticipation exists that Bellinger’s treble volition unlock the game-dominator wrong him, the 1 that emerged 3 Octobers ago. Considering it’s Bellinger, everything’s a possibility.