Whicker: Dodgers’ beefed-up bullpen helps send them to NLDS

LOS ANGELES — Chris Taylor’s location tally landed hard. Hard capable to outpouring the joyful playoff sound from Dodger Stadium for the archetypal clip since Game 1 of the 2019 National League Division Series.

Hard capable to warrant Max Scherzer’s prediction that it would crook retired precisely that way, that Cody Bellinger would gully a locomotion successful the ninth inning and Taylor would hide Alex Reyes’ slider into the near tract bleachers.

“I thought (Albert) Pujols would really deed the location run,” 3rd baseman Justin Turner said later, “and helium astir did.”

The constituent is that cardinal radical successful the Dodgers’ dugout knew it would extremity successful the ninth and, for that matter, however it would end.

Taylor’s two-run changeable yet subdued the Cardinals, 3-1, successful 1 of the astir involving games of immoderate benignant that the Dodgers person played successful the Guggenheim era.

“I deliberation we made them a small nervous,” said Adam Wainwright, the Cardinals’ starting pitcher. “But they were relentless. They were who they are.”

However, determination was a calling paper that landed adjacent harder, and it should person resounded passim the Bay Area, arsenic the Dodgers and Giants hole for a Golden best-of-five bid that begins Friday nighttime successful San Francisco.

The existent connection of this triumph is that the Dodgers are playing with a mates of afloat decks successful their bullpen these days, and those who presume they tin inactive bent astir until the extremity and ticker the Dodgers dissolve mightiness beryllium sadly mistaken.

This crippled was not expected to beryllium a occupation from the relievers, not with Max Scherzer performing. But Scherzer was each implicit the spot successful his 4-1/3 innings, throwing 94 pitches and watching Manager Dave Roberts travel retired with the hook.

Roberts extended his close manus and rapidly realized the shot was not going to beryllium placed successful it. He alternatively shook hands with his right-hander and past plucked the shot retired of Scherzer’s glove.

It went to a amended place.

Joe Kelly got 2 outs successful the 5th and stranded Paul Goldschmidt astatine 3rd base. Brusdar Graterol faced 4 hitters and was backmost successful the dugout successful 5 pitches, getting 3 grounders and holding his worldly astatine 100 mph.

Blake Treinen, unaccustomed to getting 5 outs, did so. It was laborious, since helium had to popular up Nolan Arenado with Tyler O’Neill connected second. Corey Knebel, who was erstwhile a atomic person successful Milwaukee, struck retired Harrison Bader with 2 retired successful the eighth.

It each led up to Kenley Jansen, who struck retired the broadside successful the ninth. Tommy Edman, who played a fabulous crippled astatine some ends for the Cardinals, got his 3rd deed and stole a basal successful the ninth, but Jansen fanned Goldschmidt and past cranked a precocious 94 mph fastball that O’Neill waved at. You could perceive it popular Will Smith’s mitt successful Eagle Rock.

“In presumption of having a batch of neutral guys, then, yeah, it’s astir apt arsenic bully arsenic we’ve had,” Roberts said, referring to relievers who don’t caput which broadside of the sheet the hitter occupies.

“They’ve been our backbone each year,” Justin Turner said. “I thought Max did a large occupation battling tonight, and past the guys came successful and did what they ever do.”

Roberts did immoderate roster shuffling due to the fact that this was a win-or-stay-home situation. He near David Price disconnected the roster and helium thought helium mightiness person to usage Julio Urias. Instead, Urias was a cheerleader and tin present enactment Game 2 successful San Francisco without a occupation connected Saturday night. Walker Buehler is the Game 1 starter Friday night, and Scherzer tin travel backmost for Game 3 connected Monday nighttime astatine Dodger Stadium.

It’s fundamentally what they wanted.

The bullpen has ever been the foreboding taxable for the Dodgers, with due “Twilight Zone” euphony successful the inheritance whenever the innings statesman to dwindle. Only 2 years agone Clayton Kershaw was progressive successful the bullpen mix. In 2017 Brandan Morrow was worked into exhaustion. In 2018, a wrenching seven-game NLCS with Milwaukee wore down the relievers, and adjacent though they rallied to widen Game 3 of the World Series to 18 innings, determination wasn’t overmuch left, earlier oregon after.

On Wednesday the Dodgers were capable to outlast the Cardinals’ distinguished bullpen without having to usage either Alex Vesia oregon Phil Bickford. They each await different roster alteration earlier Game 1 astatine Oracle Park.

“I truly thought the victor of this crippled would spell connected to triumph the World Series,” Wainwright said. “I deliberation we got to spot that we could vie with a large squad successful this atmosphere.”

But it takes years of bonding, done champagne and done silence, to make the keen antennae for winning that the Dodgers have.

Taylor was told that Scherzer had predicted this Hollywood ending perfectly.

“Good call,” helium said, smiling. But not a hard one.