Looking to bounce back after dropping three straight games against the Giants, the Dodgers started a 3-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Memorial Day.
Dodgers gave Manager Dave Roberts a much-needed win on his 49th birthday beating the Cardinals 9-4.
“I feel fantastic,” said Roberts. “The guys played really well. It makes a good day great, on my birthday.”
Gavin Lux has feasted at the plate as of late. With the month of May concluding Lux has collected three home runs, 17 RBIs, with 14 runs scored in 26 games this month prior to tonight.
On the last day of the month, Lux added to his kept on padding the stats with a solo home run carrying over the right-field wall in the bottom of the second getting the Dodgers on the board with a 1-0 lead.
Five pitches later in the next at-bat, Chris Taylor sent a rocket over the left-field wall for back-to-back home runs as LA jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the Cardinals.
The Cardinals came roaring back in the top of the sixth inning with a solo home run to right field by rookie Justin Williams trailing 1-2. Shortly after Williams homer, center fielder Dylan Carlson cracked a moonshot over Cody Bellinger’s head in center field scoring two runs grabbing a 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth inning with bases loaded, Genesis Cabrera walked Will Smith tying the game at three runs apiece.
Enter the heroics. Chris Taylor stood in the batter’s box in what played out to be the at-bat of the season for the Dodgers.
Taylor was in the position to put the Dodgers ahead after coming out the gates hot to start the game. Battling in a 14 pitch at-bat, the longest of his career, Taylor fouled off nine of Cabrera’s pitches before drilling a ball to the right-field gap for a bases-clearing three-run double putting Los Angeles ahead 6-3 over St. Louis.
“It was fun when I hit the double,” said Taylor jokingly about the energy in the stadium during the at-bat. “I was trying to blackout and stay focused, I could feel the energy especially when I came through with the hit.”
“He wasn’t going to be denied,” said Roberts. “CT was relentless in that at-bat, probably the best one we’ve had this season.”
Chris Taylor finished the holiday with a homer, four RBIs, and two runs scored on three hits.
The fun wasn’t over. Gavin Lux decided he wasn’t done for the night, crushing his second homer of the game to deep center field giving the Dodgers a 7-4 lead over the Cardinals.
Gavin Lux’s birthday month is in November but May might now be his favorite month with his recent hitting success.
The Dodgers added two more runs in the eighth on a Matt Beaty RBI single scoring Taylor, and Mookie Betts doubling scoring Beaty.
Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer came into the start under the weather yet gutted out a quality 6 ⅔ innings allowing three runs and striking out five batters.
The Dodgers will attempt to carry the momentum into Tuesday putting the weekend woes behind them.
