Chris Taylor leads Dodgers to walk-off win vs. Giants

The runs were hard to come by in the Dodgers’ 3-2 win against the Giants on Sunday, but Chris Taylor changed all that in the 10th with a walk-off hit to right.

Each team scored their first two runs on homers, with James Outman batting in J.D. Martinez on the first pitch he saw in the second inning. The Giants struck in the fifth inning: Tyler Fitzgerald reached on a fly ball to Outman, who couldn’t quite run in far enough to make the catch, and LaMonte Wade Jr. smacked a homer right after.

Lance Lynn had a strong start for the Dodgers, making it through six innings and logging six strikeouts despite throwing nearly 40 pitches in the first inning. He gave up a total of five hits and walked three.

Ryan Walker opened the game for the Giants. Tristan Beck followed with 4.1 innings of relief and gave up four hits, including the homer to Outman.

The Dodgers shined on defense tonight. Jason Heyward, Mookie Betts, and Miguel Rojas each had their share of excellent plays on defense—Rojas made his while being interviewed by ESPN’s broadcasters early in the game. Lynn also got in on the defensive action in the third, reaching out for a beautiful basket catch to end the inning.

The drama reached a high point in the ninth inning. Evan Phillips, the Dodgers’ fifth pitcher of the night, loaded up the bases on a hit batter, a single, and an intentional walk, then got out of the inning on a strikeout to Mitch Haniger. The Dodgers went down quietly after that.

Shelby Miller struck J.D. Davis out to start the 10th, then intentionally walked Joc Pederson. Haniger, who started the inning on second, advanced to third on a single from Thairo Estrada to load up the bases. Estrada reached when Kiké Hernandez lost the ball in center field, allowing it to drop before grabbing it. But a spectacular double play saved Miller from giving up a run: A ball hit by Michael Conforto bounced off of the pitcher’s back. Chris Taylor managed to snag the ball, tag second base, and launch a throw to Freddie Freeman at first to end the inning. You have to see it to believe it:

Taylor’s heroics didn’t end there. Amed Rosario started on second in the bottom of the 10th for the Dodgers, promptly reaching third on a sacrifice out from pinch hitter Kolten Wong. That brought up Taylor, who crushed a hit to the gap between center and right field for the walk-off win.

The Dodgers won the series and are now 8-3 in extra inning games this season, while the loss for the Giants marked yet another bump in the road as they chase a wild card spot. They’re 4.5 games back, with another series against the Dodgers coming up to end the season.