Taylor's RBI single in 10th lifts Dodgers to 3-2 win over Giants
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Taylor was in the right place at the right time in extra innings with heads-up defense on a slick double play and his bat.
Taylor’s line-drive single to center field in the 10th inning lifted the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers past the San Francisco Giants 3-2 on Sunday night. He was 0 for 3 with a strikeout before getting mobbed by his teammates in celebration.
Amed Rosario began the inning at second base and took third on pinch-hitter Kolten Wong’s groundout to short. Taylor connected off a 100-mph pitch from Camilo Dorval (6-6) to drive in Rosario and give the Dodgers a 6-6 record in extra-inning games this season.
“He's tough. I think that's the first hit I got off him,” Taylor said. "He's got really good stuff so you just got to kind of try and play pepper and try to put a ball in play.”
The Giants loaded the bases in the top of the 10th. Pinch-hitter Mitch Haniger was the designated runner at second to start the inning. After J.D. Davis struck out, Joc Pederson was intentionally walked by Shelby Miller (3-0). Thairo Estrada hit a fly ball to center that Kiké Hernández lost in the gathering dusk. It fell to his left to load the bases.
But the Dodgers got out of trouble with an amazing inning-ending double play. Pinch-hitter Patrick Bailey grounded up the middle, with the ball catching Miller's arm before Taylor made the stop, tagged second and threw to Freddie Freeman at first.
“Just kind of a weird, freak play. I was trying to step on the bag and sort of throw at the same time,” Taylor said. “I gave Freddie a terrible in-between hop and he made an unbelievable play to save us there.”
Miller said he didn't realize Taylor was behind him.
“I tipped it and I knew I slowed it down a little bit,” Miller said. “I was trying to make a play that I probably should have stayed out of the way of it.”
The Giants loaded the bases in the ninth against Evan Phillips. Michael Conforto got hit by a pitch, Marco Luciano singled and with two outs, LaMonte Wade Jr. was intentionally walked. Haniger went down swinging to end the threat.
“Just trying to scratch and claw,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Found a way to hang in there.”
Dodgers starter Lance Lynn gave up his major league-leading 43rd homer to Wade in the fifth. Tyler Fitzgerald singled leading off and Wade followed with a 403-foot shot to center that tied the game at 2-all.
James Outman went deep on the first pitch from reliever Tyson Beck for his 22nd homer, scoring J.D. Martinez who doubled for a 2-0 lead in the second.
Lynn got into a bases-loaded, two-outs jam in the third, sandwiching walks to Mike Yastrzemski and Pederson around a single to Wilmer Flores. He extricated himself by hustling to catch a bunt popped up by Estrada near the third-base line that ended the inning.
“I don't know if he's made a play like that in quite some time," Roberts said, laughing. “He got off the mound pretty well. That was a big play right there because we were in a tight spot.”
Mookie Betts showed off his defensive skills with back-to-back diving stops to end the fifth. Playing second, he snagged a grounder to his right by Davis and whipped a throw across his body to first. Then Pederson sent a shot to right and Betts dived and got the throw off to first for the third out.
Davis, who entered as a defensive replacement in the fourth, went into foul territory to snag a sharply hit ball by Betts and made a one-hop throw to first to get Betts to end the eighth.
Lynn allowed two runs and five hits in six innings. He struck out six and walked three.
The Giants lost eight of 10 to end their road trip. They were outscored 60-33 on the trip. They lost 28 of 34 road games since July 19 and finished 34-47 away from home, their fewest road wins in a full season since going 31-50 in 2018.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Giants: Flores left the game with right knee discomfort in the bottom of the fourth.
Dodgers: RHP Daniel Hudson (right MCL) will throw live batting practice in either Colorado or San Francisco on the upcoming trip. He's not expected back for the NL Division Series, but could return if the Dodgers advance.
LEADING THE MAJORS
The Dodgers lead the major leagues in attendance with 3,837,079 on the season, going over 3.8 million for the second straight year and the fifth time in team history.
They fell 24,329 short of last year’s total of 3,861,408. They had 19 sellouts and averaged 47,371 in 81 home games this year compared to 47,671 last year for the same number of dates.
Including this season, the Dodgers have led the majors in attendance for nine consecutive full seasons since 2013, not including the pandemic-affected 2020 and 2021 seasons.
UP NEXT
Giants: LHP Blake Snell (14-9, 2.33 ERA) starts for San Diego and RHP Logan Webb (10-13, 3.35) goes for the Giants on Monday in the opener of a three-game series at San Francisco.
Dodgers: After a day off Monday, an opener will give way to RHP Ryan Pepiot (2-1, 1.91) in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday at Colorado. RHP Bobby Miller (10-4, 3.97) will start the second game.
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