On the 29th anniversary of Kirk Gibson hitting a game-winning home run in the World Series, Justin Turner delivered a walk-off, three-run home run to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 2-0 lead over the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS.
With neither Jon Lester or Rich Hill completing more than five innings, Game 2 boiled down to a battle of the bullpens. What’s been a weak point for the Cubs again faltered after initial signs of encouragement.
The decision to allow Brian Duensing to start the ninth, what was his second inning in relief, began the downfall. He walked Yasiel Puig on four pitches, but did strike out pinch-hitter Kyle Farmer after a Charlie Culberson sacrifice bunt.
John Lackey walked Chris Taylor, and was done in by Turner on a three-run home run to center field, giving the Dodgers a 4-1 victory.
Matters began on a positive note for Chicago, as Carl Edwards Jr. relieved Lester with two outs in the fifth and struck out three in 1.1 perfect innings to keep the game knotted in a 1-1 tie. Pedro Strop then followed with a scoreless seventh to get the ball to Duensing in the eighth.
The Dodgers’ bullpen once more rose to the occasion, contributing four shutout innings. Through the eighth inning, they’d combined retired all 22 batters faced in the first two games.
The string was snapped when Kenley Jansen hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch with one out in the ninth inning. Jansen responded by retiring the next two batters faced, setting the stage for a walk-off win.
Rich Hill nearly reprised the six shutout innings he tossed against the Cubs in last year’s NLCS, as he allowed just the one run on three hits. Hill stranded a leadoff single in the first inning and left Javier Baez on third base in the third after he got there with one out.
Hill set a postseason career high with eight strikeouts, built on striking out two batters in three of his five innings of work.
Four days removed from throwing 55 pitches in a relief appearance, Jon Lester was forced to labor and bear down before getting chased with two outs in the bottom of the fifth.
Cody Bellinger followed Turner’s walk with a two-out double in the third inning, good for the Dodgers’ first hit. Turner was given a late stop sign by third-base coach Chris Woodward, and it may have cost the Dodgers a run as Kiké Hernandez flied out.
Culberson’s leadoff double was cashed in by Turner on a slap single into right field that tied the game. While key, Turner’s base hit ultimately was overshadowed by his late-game heroics.
