Chris Taylor’s 2-Run Walk-Off HR Lifts Dodgers Past Cardinals in NL Wild Card Game

Be a hero, Chris Taylor.

It almost seemed unfair that the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers had to play a single-elimination game, but their playoff run will continue thanks to Taylor’s walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Los Angeles defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 in Wednesday’s win-or-go-home National League Wild Card Game at Dodger Stadium thanks to his blast. The pitching staff also led the way for the victors, who finished with the second-most wins in the league at 106.

A solid start from Adam Wainwright wasn’t enough for the Cardinals, who were unable to build on the momentum their late-season 17-game winning streak created before the playoffs.

Notable Player Stats

• Chris Taylor, LF, LAD: 1-for-2, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R
• Justin Turner, 3B, LAD: 1-for-1, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R
• Cody Bellinger, CF, LAD: 1-for-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 SB
• Max Scherzer, P, LAD: 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 4 K, 3 BB
• Adam Wainwright, P, STL: 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 5 K, 2 BB
• Tommy Edman, 2B, STL: 3-for-5, 1 R, 2 SB

Dodgers Bullpen Sets the Stage for Taylor’s Moment

It’s hard to pick a better pitcher than Max Scherzer for a single-elimination game. After all, the three-time Cy Young winner could be on his way to a fourth and was lights-out for the Dodgers in 11 starts after they traded for him in July.

He was anything but dominant out of the gates, though, and gave up a run in the first inning when Tommy Edman scored on a wild pitch.

Scherzer struggled with his control throughout with three walks, a hit-by-pitch and multiple strikes that he left out over the plate, but he managed to escape multiple jams after that first inning and got a boost from Joe Kelly in the fifth.

Kelly entered with two runners on and one out and induced a groundout from Nolan Arenado and struck out Dylan Carlson to keep the game tied at one and give the Dodgers an opportunity to win it in the late innings.

While Kelly succeeded in a high-leverage situation, he was just the start of a clutch bullpen performance. Brusdar Graterol cruised through the sixth, and Blake Treinen retired Arenado in the seventh with a runner in scoring position before he combined with Corey Knebel to pitch a scoreless eighth.

The red-hot Kenley Jansen kept the Cardinals off the board in the ninth as well with a cold-blooded strikeout of Tyler O’Neill with the go-ahead run on second base as Dodgers pitchers continued to get out of every jam they created.

Taylor’s home run was the defining moment of Wednesday’s game, but it wouldn’t have even been possible without the gritty 4.2 shutout innings from the bullpen.

Cardinals’ Magic Runs Out in 9th

There were few more impressive individual showings this season than the one Wainwright turned in at 40 years old. His 3.05 ERA was his lowest mark for a full season since 2014, and he anchored the Cardinals rotation throughout the season and late push to the playoffs even at his age.

He was on the right side of some excellent fielding in the early going Wednesday, including when he flashed lightning-quick reflexes to snag a Justin Turner line drive. Edman also made a terrific sliding play, but one of the biggest moments came in the third.

Los Angeles loaded the bases with two walks and a single, but Wainwright escaped by inducing a double play from Trea Turner to maintain the lead.

While that lead disappeared when Turner launched a solo homer in the fourth, Wainwright battled into the sixth inning and out-pitched the typically dominant Scherzer. St. Louis couldn’t have realistically asked for much more in this starting pitching matchup and had the chance to advance in the later innings as a result.

Wainwright wasn’t the only Cardinals pitcher who delivered, as Luis Garcia stranded the starter’s runner in the sixth and retired Mookie Betts with a runner in scoring position in the seventh.

Shortstop Paul DeJong saved Giovanny Gallegos’ scoreless eighth with a leaping play on a Will Smith line drive with the speedy Turner on base, as the Cardinals continued the theme of neutralizing seemingly every threat from the loaded Dodgers lineup.

Every threat, that is, except for Taylor, who launched the game-winning drive off Alex Reyes in the final frame.

What’s Next?

The Dodgers will face the San Francisco Giants in the best-of-five NL Division Series that starts with Friday’s Game 1.