LOS ANGELES_Corey Seager turned 23 in April, which makes him, in this year of Cody Bellinger, a sage veteran. Bellinger will not turn 22 until July 13. By then, his home run total should well exceed his age. Bellinger blasted his 22nd homer of the season in Tuesday's 12-0 shellacking of the New York Mets, and appeared set to stand beneath the spotlight yet again.
Except that Seager, the reigning National League rookie of the year and a bona fide MVP candidate in 2016, offered a reminder of his own gifts. Steady but unspectacular in 2017, Seager staged a remarkable display of power Tuesday, delivering a trio of home runs for the second time in his career. The exhibition pushed Bellinger, ever so briefly, to the side of the stage _ a difficult feat so far in June, as the Los Angeles Dodgers (46-26) won for the fifth time in a row and the 11th time in 12 games, with Bellinger blasting baseballs out of sight seemingly on a daily basis.
The rest of the Dodgers have begun to join in. A night after hanging 10 runs on their guests, the Dodgers pummeled Mets starter Robert Gsellman and bounced him from the game in the fifth inning. The lineup mashed four homers and scored seven runs against Gsellman. Seager extended the misery to reliever Josh Edgin by taking him deep in the fifth.
The offense created a sizable cushion for Brandon McCarthy (6-3, 2.87 earned-run average). McCarthy permitted four singles during six scoreless innings. He did not allow a Met to stand on third base. And the offense insured he would never have to worry about run support.
The Dodgers did not wait long to start the barrage. Logan Forsythe led off the first with a single. Four pitches later, Seager blasted a flat changeup from Gsellman beyond the fence in center field. Even so, Seager looked merely like a prelude to Bellinger.
During the past two weeks, Bellinger's at-bats have become appointment viewing, at least for those capable of watching the Dodgers on television. He exudes a talismanic effect on his teammates. When Justin Turner returned from the disabled list in early June, he used one of Bellinger's bats. Turner hit a home run that evening, and has stuck with borrowed lumber ever since.
Turner did not utilize power to reach base in the first. He benefited from the fielding woes of his former team. A wayward throw by Mets third baseman T.J. Rivera pulled Lucas Duda off first base. The error meant the Mets committed a cardinal sin: They put a runner aboard with Bellinger due to hit.
The night before, Bellinger offered an unlikely explanation for his steady stream of power. He credited an affinity for ice cream. And manager Dave Roberts verified the dietary quirk, vouching for Bellinger's devotion to the dairy-based dessert. "It's nice to be young, when you can eat ice cream any time you want," Roberts said.
A more reasonable explanation? Bellinger is crushing mistakes. Gsellman made one in the fourth pitch of the at-bat. After a trio of curveballs, Gsellman left a curveball hanging at Bellinger's belt. The ball landed just beyond the right-field fence.
Inside the Dodgers' dugout, looks of astonishment extended across the railing as the homer took flight. Clayton Kershaw and Chase Utley locked eyes and broke up with laughter. Austin Barnes raised his arms skyward. Enrique Hernandez bugged his eyes and spun his cap around his head.
Each homer creates a new statistical milestone. No rookie has hit this many homers in this short a span of games to start his career. Bellinger became the first rookie to hit 10 homers in 10 games ever, and the first Dodger to do it since Shawn Green in 2002. The clamoring for Bellinger to appear in next month's Home Run Derby will only increase.
An inning later, the Mets devised a handy system for facing Bellinger: They walked him intentionally. The Dodgers could not capitalize, as Yasmani Grandal grounded out with the bases loaded, but the decision offered a hint of what may await Bellinger. Seager needed to adjust to varying strategies from opposing pitchers after he proved his worth at the big league level.
In the fourth inning, Seager fouled off a series of fastballs, curveballs and sliders. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Gsellman fed Seager a fastball on the inner half. Seager redirected the pitch toward the opposite field, racing on a line out to left. The solo shot gave him five multi-homer games in his career.
Gsellman would not last much longer. Yasmani Grandal added an opposite-field solo homer of his own. Yasiel Puig and Joc Pederson supplied doubles to produce a run. With Pederson at second, Mets manager Terry Collins showed mercy on Gsellman. Collins assigned Edgin to complete the inning.
The Dodgers did not oblige. Forsythe took a walk to bring up Seager. Edgin spotted a curveball for a strike. The pitch was admirable, but it did not dissuade Seager from hunting a fastball. One arrived on the next pitch, a 92-mph four-seamer that drifted over the middle. Seager smashed another opposite-field drive to complete the trifecta.
