Cody Bellinger evokes '19 MVP prowess with 2-run double in Dodgers' Game 2 win

SAN FRANCISCO -- For a brief, fleeting moment -- the amount of time it took San Francisco Giants reliever Dominic Leone's sixth-inning fastball to travel from his hand to the plate -- Cody Bellinger looked like the guy who was the 2019 National League MVP.

Bellinger was balanced and quick, two elements of successful hitting that have eluded him all season, and the result was a two-run double to left-center that put the Dodgers ahead 4-1 and set the stage for what became a 9-2 win in Game 2 of the NLDS.

Bellinger hit .165 with a .542 OPS this season, unfathomably bad numbers for a player who hit .305 with 47 homers and a 1.035 OPS in his MVP season. Injuries were a major factor; he played just…