Reporting from Houston — The calendar soon will turn to November, a month that should be a glorious one for Cody Bellinger.
He almost certainly will be announced as winner of the National League rookie of the year award. He might just win it unanimously, as Corey Seager did last year.
That happy day will come.
The October days have been terribly unpleasant and hugely unproductive for Bellinger, presenting the Dodgers with an immediate concern. Should he even be in the starting lineup for Game 4 of the World Series?
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He struck out in all four of his at-bats in Game 3. The Dodgers lost 5-3, and for the first time this postseason, they trail in a series.
Bellinger, the Dodgers’ cleanup batter, is 0 for 11 in the World Series, with seven strikeouts.
“Today was the first day where I kind of felt out of place,” Bellinger said.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he anticipated Bellinger would remain in the lineup.
“I don’t see giving him a day off,” Roberts said.
Bellinger set an NL rookie record with 39 home runs. That counts for nothing in October. In 47 postseason at-bats, he is batting .213, with 19 strikeouts and a .245 on-base percentage.
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Turner Ward, the Dodgers’ hitting coach, said the Astros have done a particularly fine job of what he called “manipulating the strike zone” against Seager. They get him to swing at a pitch at the edge of the strike zone, and he misses, and then he swings at a pitch an inch or two off the plate, and he misses.
“When Cody gets back into the zone again, he’s going to start killing it again,” Ward said.
In the second inning, Bellinger struck out on three pitches, all curve balls. In the fourth inning, he struck out on four pitches, three of them curve balls. In the sixth inning, he struck out on three pitches, all curve balls.
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All three of those at-bats came against Houston starter Lance McCullers Jr., who faced 22 batters. McCullers did not strike out any of the other 19 batters.
Bellinger had one more at-bat, in the eighth inning, against Brad Peacock. He struck out on eight pitches, all fastballs.
“I had a few bad at-bats today,” Bellinger said. “I’ll be the first one to admit it. I’ve been in situations like this before, where I had four strikeouts. The next day, four strikeouts again. It just takes one good swing to get out of it.”
He said he had good at-bats, if hitless ones, in the first two games of the series.
“That’s what happens when you face [Dallas] Keuchel and [Justin] Verlander,” Bellinger said.
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Dodgers’ from left, Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Chase Utley and Brandon Morrow meet on the mound in Game 3.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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The Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger walks back to the dugout after striking out in the fourth inning.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers’ from left, Yasmani Grandal, Josh Fields, Clayton Kershaw and Kenta Maeda stand during Astro introductions before Game 3.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Astros closer Brad Peacock is all smiles after shutting the Dodgers out in 3 2/3 innings and striking out four.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers starter Yu Darvish leaves the game in the second inning after surrendering four runs to the Astros.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Yuli Gurriel hits a second-inning leadoff homer off of Dodgers starter Yu Darvish. Video of Gurriel making an apparent racist gesture in the dugout after the homer surfaced on social media during the game.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Justin Turner of the Dodgers walks back to the bench after popping up against the Astros in the eighth inning.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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The Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig sits quietly in the dugout during Game 3 of the World Series.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers chases a ball that goes foul.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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The Dodgers’ Corey Seager loses his helmet as he runs the bases on a hit by Justin Turner in the sixth inning.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish, center, watches the game form the dugout in the ninth inning. Darvish started the game but was relieved in the second inning.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish stands on the mound during the second inning.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers strikes out in the ninth inning against the Astros.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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The Astros’ Jose Altuve tags out the Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig, who was trying to reach second base on a hit in the fourth inning.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes bobbles the ball as the Astros’ Marwin Gonzalez scores a run in the second inning.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel is greeted by teammate Carlos Correa after homering in the second inning against Dodgers starter Yu Darvish.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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A dour group of Dodgers watch from the dugout as a pop foul sails overhead in Game 3.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. raises a fist to fans as he leaves the game in the sixth inning.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes can’t make the tag on the Astros’ Josh Reddick at home plate in the fifth inning.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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The Dodgers Justin Turner scores on a wild pitch by Astros reliever Brad Peacock in the fifth inning.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers’ catcher Austin Barnes can’t make the tag on the Astros’ Josh Reddick at home plate in the fifth inning.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish walks off the field after being taken out of the game in the second inning.
(Tom Pennington / Getty Images)
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Astros’ center fielder George Springer makes a diving catch to save a run off the bat of the Dodgers’ Chris Taylor in the fifth inning.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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The Astros’ Jose Altuve tags out Dodgers Yasiel Puig, who was trying to reach second base on a hit in the fourth inning.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, left, relays to first base in time to complete a double play after forcing out the Dodgers’ Chris Taylor.
(Larry W. Smith / EPA)
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Yasiel Puig is tagged out by Astros second baseman Jose Altuve after trying to stretch a single into a double during the 4th inning of game 3.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager can’t reach a bloop single by Astros catcher Brian McCann during fourth-inning action.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodger Austin Barnes sits after Astro Josh Reddick scores from first base on an error in the fifth inning.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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The Houston Astros’ Yuli Gurriel celebrates his home run as Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes watches during the second inning.
(Matt Slocum / AP)
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The Houston Astros’ Yuli Gurriel is congratulated by George Springer after hitting a home run during the second inning.
(David J. Phillip / AP)
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Yu Darvish looks to the outfield as Yuli Gurriel homers in the second inning.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Yuri Gurriel hits a second-inning leadoff home run off Dodgers starter Yu Darvish in game 3.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers centerfielder Chris Taylor chases down a first-inning double by Astros leadoff hitter George Springer.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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The Dodgers’ Logan Forsythe singles in the top of the second inning.
(TANNEN MAURY / EPA)
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The Dodgers’ Yu Darvish pitches during the first inning.
(Jamie Squire / AP)
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A giant American flag is held on the field as the national anthem is performed.
(Tim Bradbury / Getty Images)
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Fans gather along the third base line during pregame warmups before Game 3 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers fans chant and clap in support of the players warming up on the field before Game 3.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Yasiel Puig plants a kiss on his hitting coach Turner Ward during intorductions before Game 3 of the World Series.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Joc Pederson heads to batting practice before Game 3 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez watches batting practice before Game 3.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Dodgers players shag balls in the outfield before Game 3.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
It would be unlike the Dodgers to bench a player based on a small sample size, in this case defined as three games of the World Series. And, with Adrian Gonzalez inactive, the only player on the World Series roster that started more than two games at first base this season is Chase Utley, who is hitless in all 14 postseason at-bats.
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So the Dodgers have no great options if they want to bench Bellinger for a day. In addition, Bellinger provides what Roberts called “premium” defense as well as “presence … in the lineup.”
“It’s just trying to get Cody to slow down a little bit,” Roberts said. “I think he’s been a little too quick. And tonight you saw balls below the zone. “He was on the defensive. So I think that he’s trying his hardest. He’s trying his tail off. I think we’ve got to get him to slow down and stay in the strike zone. If you look at the pitches tonight, a lot of balls out of the zone.”
Bellinger, 22, made history of sorts, becoming the youngest player since Mickey Mantle to strike out four times in a World Series. Mantle turned out all right. Seager, last year’s NL rookie of the year, suspects his presumptive successor will turn out all right, too
“Nothing to really worry about,” Seager said. “Bellinger is going to be all right, and he is going to come back tomorrow and be good for us.”
