Steve Webb
Fourteen pitches later, the Dodgers are on their way to victory
LOS ANGELES – Epic. That was the only word for it. Chris Taylor came up with an epic at-bat in the sixth inning against Cardinal reliever Genesis Cabrera. With the game tied at three and the bases loaded, the Dodgers utilityman was relentless at the plate, fouling off pitch after pitch until he got the one he wanted. And when it came sailing across the plate on the fourteenth pitch of the at-bat, Taylor didn’t miss it. He walloped a bases-clearing double to right center to blow the game wide open and the Dodgers never looked back. They added a few more by the end of the contest and walked away with a 9-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Lux and Taylor go back to back
It was an early 6:10 start for the Memorial Day evening contest, and it featured a real classic pitching match-up. Last year’s Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer vs. local boy Jack Flaherty, who came into the game with an 8-1 record and a nifty 2.84 ERA. For a while though, it looked like it might not be Flaherty’s night. In the second inning, he got absolutely rocked by two consecutive Dodger hitters. First, Gavin Lux drilled a towering shot to right, and then Chris Taylor (remember that name) went back to back with an absolute bullet to the Dodgers bullpen in left. In the blink of an eye, it was 2-0 Dodgers.
Redbirds pull ahead in the sixth
However, Flaherty settled down and now it was Trevor Bauer’s turn to give up some home runs. Bauer, starting Monday’s ballgame even though he was fighting off some illness, was effective through the first five innings. Though he did give up a few loud outs along the way, he was only touched for one hit through the first half of the ballgame. However, in the sixth that all changed. First Justin Williams banged a solo shot off the right field foul pole. Then, after a costly Zach McKinstry error, Dylan Carlson buried a two-run bomb into the seats. The Cardinals were now ahead by a count of 3-2.
Flaherty pulled from game
And that brings us around to Chris Taylor’s big moment in the bottom of the sixth. But first, important to note that Jack Flaherty had to be lifted from the game after the bottom of the fifth. Apparently, something went hinky in Flaherty’s side during a swing in his second at-bat of the night, and he was unable to continue. Which was a bit of a break for the Dodgers, as the Harvard-Westlake grad had really settled down after the two early homers, and had struck out nine over five innings.
Card relievers can’t find the zone
Once the Cardinal bullpen was on the mound, it was game on. The first reliever of the night, Ryan Helsey only got one out before he gave up a double to Max Muncy and a single to Justin Turner. With runners on the corners, Cards manager Mike Shildt went to the bullpen again for hard-throwing lefty Genesis Cabrera. And Cabrera threw plenty hard all right. Problem was, he couldn’t find the strike zone with a metal detector. He walked Cody Bellinger to load the bases and then proceeded to walk Will Smith to tie the game.
Chris f’n Taylor!
Enter Chris Taylor from stage left. After taking the first two pitches for balls, Taylor got two quick strikes on a foul ball and a whiff. And that’s when the battle began. He fouled off four straight pitches before he took ball three. Then, with the count full, the runners were taking off with every pitch. And they had a lot of running to do. He fouled off four 3-2 pitches in a row. Then, finally on pitch number 14, Taylor got a 97-mph four seamer in the zone, and whipped around his bat head to the pitch. With a beautiful whack, the ball flew into the gap in right center and three very tired baserunners were able to scamper home. It was now, 6-3 Dodgers, and that essentially was ballgame.
Bauer’s gritty performance
The Cards got one more off Bauer in the seventh on another home run, this one from Tyler O’Neill. For those of you keeping score at home it was the fifth homer surrendered by Bauer in his last two starts. If there is a chink in his armor, it is certainly the home run ball. Hopefully, he’ll get that under control as the season progresses. Still, for being under the weather, it was a gritty start for Bauer. His line for the night: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 5 K.
Dodgers put the game out of reach
The O’Neill homer made it a little too close for comfort until the Dodger bats came alive again in the eighth, when they added on a three spot to extend the lead to 9-4. The key blows in the inning: Gavin Lux’s second long fly of the night, a nice RBI single from pinch hitter Matt Beaty, and a very welcome run-scoring double from Mookie Betts, who went 2-for-3 on the evening and was on base four times.
With a five-run cushion, Kenley Jansen was told to sit back down and Phil Bickford came on for the final three outs of the game. It was a very solid Dodger win, with contributions from up and down the lineup. But without doubt, the star of the night was Chris Taylor, who went 3-for-4 with a home run and a double, and that very, very impressive at-bat that completely turned the game on its head.
Bullpen game on Tuesday
Two more games remain at home against St. Louis, with tomorrow’s game another bullpen game. No starter yet announced at press time. Hopefully, the little slide over the weekend has come to an end, and we can get back to another little hot streak from now on. Game time tomorrow, 7:10 pm.
