– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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BALTIMORE — A second-consecutive lost season was staring The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Chris Taylor before going on the injured list just over a month ago. In less than three days, however, Taylor is making up for lost time in a major way, and once again, the Dodgers won another game in grand fashion.
Taylor cracked a grand slam to center field in the major blow in a five-run sixth inning as the Dodgers came from behind to defeat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 in the first of a three-game set inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Monday evening. Freddie Freeman had three hits and scored two runs while the much-improved Dodgers bullpen closed out the game with four scoreless innings in snapping Baltimore’s eight-game winning streak.
Adley Rutschman had given the Orioles a 4-1 lead on a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth right before Los Angeles started its rally. Freeman tripled to start the sixth before he was driven home by a Will Smith single, with both hits coming off Orioles starter and top prospect Grayson Rodriguez, who was making his first start since May 26. A wild pitch and a walk to Max Muncy followed, which saw the night end for Rodriguez after five-plus innings.
The rally almost fizzled after both J.D. Martinez and David Peralta flew out to center field for the first two outs of the inning against reliever Bryan Baker, but then Jason Heyward was able to work a walk to bring up Taylor. After fouling off the first four pitches, Taylor, who came back off the injured list on Saturday in New York, smoked a 97.7 miles-per-hour fastball into the bullpen beyond the center field wall for his 12th homer of the season and his second grand slam.
Taylor joins Freeman, Muncy and James Outman with two grand slams on the season, making the Dodgers just the fourth team in Major League history with at least four players with two grand slams in the same season, joining the 2018 Yankees and the 2002 and 1999 Cleveland teams.
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