Dodgers’ Chris Taylor swats 3 HRs to stave off NLCS ouster by Braves

LOS ANGELES — There are the large guns successful the Dodgers lineup and past the little notable experienced ones for whom October shot has go 2nd nature.

Chris Taylor falls into the second class arsenic a jack of each trades unfazed by immoderate situation. Thursday night, with his squad needing a triumph to support its play alive, Taylor became a postseason hero.

All told helium blasted 3 homers and drove successful six runs to pb an 11-2 triumph implicit the Braves successful Game 5 of the NLCS astatine Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers clawed to wrong 3-2 successful the series, sending it backmost to Atlanta for Game 6 connected Saturday, erstwhile Max Scherzer is expected to get the shot connected 5 days’ rest.

Until they adjacent retired this bid — if that happens — the Braves volition beryllium reminded that successful past year’s NLCS they led the bid 3-1 earlier the Dodgers rallied for 3 consecutive victories.

Masters of the bullpen outing, the Dodgers received a cumulative large show from the six relievers who followed Joe Kelly (he surrendered the Braves’ lone runs, successful the archetypal inning, earlier departing with an injury). Kenley Jansen got the last 3 outs, triggering the team’s triumph music, “I Love L.A.,” done the stadium’s dependable system.

AJ Pollock, different seasoned seasoned who hardly falls into the prima category, blasted 2 homers to springiness the Dodgers 5 successful the game, tying a franchise postseason record.

Chris TaylorGetty Images

Taylor, who started astatine 3rd basal — Justin Turner was removed from the roster earlier the crippled with a strained near hamstring — had 2 homers erstwhile helium stepped to the sheet successful the seventh. He past blasted a changeup from left-hander Dylan Lee into the left-field seats. Taylor had a changeable astatine attaining further glory erstwhile helium came to the sheet successful the eighth, but helium struck out.

The biggest Dodger homer of this bid came Tuesday, erstwhile Cody Bellinger deed a three-run rocket successful the eighth inning that tied the crippled earlier Mookie Betts’ treble enactment the Dodgers up successful the victory.

On this night, Taylor’s 2nd homer of the game, a two-run changeable successful the fifth, sank the Braves into a 6-2 spread and made a instrumentality to Atlanta for astatine slightest a sixth crippled look imminent. Albert Pujols walked, his 3rd clip reaching basal successful the game, and Taylor followed with a changeable to right-center against Chris Martin that kept carrying to the bleachers.

Pollock and Taylor smashed homers successful the 2nd to springiness the Dodgers a 3-2 lead, resurrecting a squad that had rapidly fallen into a two-run hole. After Pollock homered starring disconnected the inning, Pujols — who started astatine archetypal basal against lefty Max Fried — singled to near earlier Taylor deed a vicious changeable (exit velocity 112 mph) into the left-field bullpen to enactment the Dodgers ahead. It marked the archetypal clip Fried surrendered 2 homers successful an inning since Game 6 of past year’s NLCS, erstwhile Corey Seager and Turner went heavy against him successful the first.

The Dodgers extended their pb with successive singles from Pollock, Pujols and Taylor successful the third. Fried avoided further harm by striking retired Bellinger and retiring pinch-hitter Andy Burns.

Fried was charged for 5 earned runs connected 8 hits with 2 walks and a deed batter implicit 4 ²/₃ innings that consisted of 90 pitches. The Braves ace was overmuch sharper successful Game 1, erstwhile helium constricted the Dodgers to 2 runs implicit six innings.

Kelly lasted lone two-thirds of an inning for the Dodgers earlier exiting the tract with close biceps tightness. Freddie Freeman’s 2nd homer successful arsenic galore games, a two-run blast connected a Kelly curveball, enactment the Dodgers successful an contiguous hole. After Kelly departed with the injury, the Dodgers received a boost from Evan Phillips, who gave the squad 1 ¹/₃ scoreless innings.