The Los Angeles Dodgers began the eighth inning of Thursday’s game trailing the Colorado Rockies by two runs, but due to clutch hitting, they were able to come back and earn a 7-5 win in extra innings.
L.A. got on the board first when Austin Barnes drove in AJ Pollock during the second inning and they added another two runs when Corey Seager hit a bloop single to score Barnes and Gavin Lux.
The Rockies then came back in the bottom of the inning to tie the game on a Sam Hilliard RBI double and Kyle Freeland two-run single.
Colorado ended up taking a 5-3 lead in the fifth when Ramiel Tapia hit a two-run home run. The score remained that way until the eighth inning when Pollock brought in Trea Turner with a double to cut the Dodgers’ deficit to one.
TIE GAME. pic.twitter.com/v20ePv31OB
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 23, 2021
MAX POWER, MAX RESULTS. pic.twitter.com/ogp8yYvAfB
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 23, 2021
Game over. pic.twitter.com/8w1J4731wB
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 23, 2021
In the ninth inning, still trailing by one and with two outs, there wasn’t much hope left until Mookie Betts kept the game alive with a single. Betts’ base hit was followed by another single from Corey Seager, which advanced Betts to second and brought up Turner.
With a 2-1 count, Turner hit a ground ball to the left side that snuck by Trevor Story and brought in Betts to tie the game.
In the 10th inning, Max Muncy hit a leadoff two-run homer, assisted by MLB’s extra-inning rules, to give the Dodgers a 7-5 lead.
In the bottom half of the inning, Blake Treinen found himself in some trouble after a walk but he was able to get a double play and end the game.
The game was started by Max Scherzer, who had his first blemish of the season for the Dodgers as he allowed five runs in five innings.
Dodgers optimistic about Taylor
Chris Taylor has been playing through a pinched nerve for the last several weeks but the Dodgers believe they will be able to manage it well enough to keep him active for the rest of the season.
Including the series finale against the Rockies, Taylor has not started nine of the team’s last 11 games. He sat out five consecutive games beginning on Sept. 11, before he was able to pinch-hit last Friday and again during the Dodgers’ comeback win on Thursday.
“I think we’ll be able to manage it,” Roberts said. “Having AJ back gives us a little bit more coverage, so I think with C.T. we can afford a few more days.”
Although Taylor was likely going to be unavailable Thursday, there has been an improvement. “He’s feeling better. We’ll probably stay away from him again, but the pain medication or shot, whatever it is that he got, it seems to be working,” Roberts said.
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