In similar fashion as teammate Chase Utley from the night before, Cody Bellinger knocked a two-run homer that left AT&T Park and soared into McCovey Cove on Wednesday night. His splash hit did not merely squeeze by the foul pole to the right of Levi’s Landing, he blasted it to one of the deepest parts of the yard.
This impressive home run caught the attention of broadcaster Duane Kuiper, who spoke about how Bellinger and the Dodgers’ surfeit of young talent impacts the Giants’ offseason.
“Think about the guys the Dodgers are casting aside [for Bellinger]: Andre Ethier, Adrian Gonzalez, Joc Pederson is here, but he hasn’t seen the field. Some of the new people they brought in and people out of their minor league system have really made a difference for this team,” Kuiper said. “The Giants know they have their hands full for a while against the Dodgers, that’s why this offseason for the Giants is so important.”
Although the Giants outrank the Dodgers with their three World Series titles since 2010, their archrival holds the upper hand during the regular season. The Dodgers are nearing their fifth straight NL West pennant, winning the previous four by at least four games.
What makes matters worse, the Giants, who are now 57-90, are bound for their first losing season since finishing 76-86 in 2013. The two pillars they prided themselves on – pitching and defense – have gradually crumbled as the year has progressed.
The Giants’ pitching staff owns a 4.64 ERA, which is good for the 20th highest in the major leagues, with Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto working around injuries. Although Ty Blach adequately rounded out the rotation in their absence, after making 24 starts he is showing signs of rookie fatigue.
On the field, the Giants are ranked 17th in the majors with 83 errors committed. After committing an error in each of their three games against the Chicago White Sox, the Giants missed two catchable pop-ups in an disappointing series against the Dodgers.
All the while, Bellinger has been making a name for himself thanks to his powerful swing. Despite a minor slump this month, Bellinger is second in the National League with 37 home runs. On September 3, Bellinger passed Mike Piazza and took the Dodgers’ all-time rookie home run record away from him.
Oh by the way, he is also batting .272 and shown promising versatility on defense, playing 44 games in the outfield.
With his addition, the Dodgers look just as strong, if not stronger, than they have since winning the pennant in 2013. If the Giants hope to compete next season, they need to be active during the offseason to fill the holes in their roster and strategize how to stand up with their rivals in the NL West.
To listen to the full interview, check out the podcast below and skip to 11:35 for Kuiper on Bellinger.
