The Los Angeles Dodgers closed out the regular season by defeating the Milwaukee Brewers, 10-3, to tie the franchise record for most wins but they fell short in the National League West race and saw Max Muncy leave the game early due to a left elbow injury.
With the Dodgers needing a win to force a potential Game 163 tiebreaker, Walker Buehler came out of the gate firing. He issued a walk and allowed a double in the second, but was up to six strikeouts through two scoreless innings.
Buehler ran his total to seven strikeouts through three, but the Brewers then took a 1-0 lead behind back-to-back doubles from Rowdy Tellez and Avisail García to open the fourth inning.
Although Buehler managed to hold the Brewers to just one run, it dampened the atmosphere at Dodger Stadium that already was down because Muncy suffered his injury in the third inning and it overlapped with the San Francisco Giants taking a lead.
The Dodgers continued to trail until the fifth inning, when they built a rally predicated on small ball. With Will Smith already on base after a walk, Chris Taylor kept the inning alive by drawing a free pass with two outs.
Matt Beaty’s infield single loaded the bases and Mookie Betts’ walk tied the game. Corey Seager then provided a lead with an RBI infield single and Trea Turner’s grand slam broke the game open.
Turner became the first Dodgers player with two grand slams in a three-game span since Mike Piazza on April 9 and 10, 1998. Turner finished with the NL batting crown and also the league lead in hits (195), total bases (319) and stolen bases (32).
Turner also gave the Dodgers a new franchise record with 11 grand slams this season, which broke a tie with the 2004 team.
Beaty added an RBI single in the sixth inning and three-run homer in the eighth. His ability to produce could become paramount if Muncy is to miss an extended period of time.
Considering the Giants’ appeared well on their way to clinching the NL West, Buehler’s day came to an end at just five innings.
Andre Jackson pitched the final three innings of the game to earn his first career save.
NL Wild Card Game: Cardinals vs. Dodgers
The Dodgers next play on Wednesday, when they host the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card Game. Max Scherzer and Adam Wainwright are the probables.
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