Consistency, Maturity Keys to Beltre Success

So many things are right in Adrian Beltre’s life.

The third baseman has had a breakthrough season and can become a free agent after the World Series, and teammates said his MVP-type performance is the biggest reason the Dodgers are on the verge of their first National League West title in nine years. Moreover, Beltre said he has stability in his personal life, crediting his wife, Sandra, and infant daughter, Cassandra, with his maturation as a man.

“It’s been a good year,” said Beltre, who had a two-run double Saturday in a 9-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants at SBC Park. “But it’s not over yet, so I’m just thinking about what we’re trying to do as a team.”

The Dodgers said Beltre is headed for bigger things individually.

“Belly is really, really good,” first baseman Shawn Green said recently. “I know that might seem obvious because of what he’s doing this year, but I’m not just talking about the numbers.

“Belly does things out there that only players and people who really know the game can appreciate. The difference this year is the consistency he has with the numbers he’s putting up.

“And you know what? Belly is going to keep doing this for a long time. I’m not saying he’s going to hit 50 homers every year, but he’s going to produce.”

Manager Jim Tracy agreed.

“He can drive in 100-plus runs for the next several years,” Tracy said. “You can see it. You can see the consistency.”

General Manager Paul DePodesta has said trying to re-sign Beltre tops his off-season to-do list. Tracy said he hoped DePodesta succeeded.

“I’m very hopeful that we have an opportunity to have Adrian Beltre here, I make no bones about that, but I don’t run that department,” he said.

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It appears that Hideo Nomo might be relegated to mop-up duty in the final days of his second stint in Los Angeles.

Nomo, 36, has been demoted to the bullpen for the remainder of the season after having given up 14 hits and 12 earned runs in his last two starts. Although Edwin Jackson and Kazuhisa Ishii struggled in their last two starts, Tracy said Nomo, who won 16 games in each of the previous two seasons, would not be considered to start with the division race undecided.

The Dodgers are not expected to re-sign the right-hander, who had shoulder surgery last October and went 4-11 with an 8.25 earned-run average in 18 starts. After a 10-year career in the major leagues and five seasons in Japan, could Nomo be an effective starter again?

“I don’t know the answer to that question,” Tracy said. “ ... The reason I don’t know the answer is because he had shoulder surgery.

“What happens between the end of the season and into spring training of next year? It’s difficult to determine. You’ve seen cases where guys rebound the year following surgery. Then you see other guys level off or digress.”