Unlikely Dodgers Player Tried to Rally Team in NLDS Hitters Meeting

In the days leading up to the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres, it was one of the quieter players on the Los Angeles Dodgers roster who spoke up.

Before Game 1 on Saturday, soft-spoken veteran Chris Taylor reminded his teammates during a hitters’ meeting that this series would be all about intensity.

“Every time we play these guys,” Taylor said of the San Diego Padres, “they always have high intensity and a lot of energy.” So, he told his teammates: “We need to match that.”

After three games, the Dodgers bats were still not where they needed to be.

Then Game 4 happened and by the end of the night, the Dodgers won 8-0 to force a Game 5 on Friday at Dodger Stadium.

“We just played our game,” utility man Kiké Hernández said. “We did what we’re capable of doing.”

Unlike last year, when they were shut down by Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers in a season-ending defeat, the Dodgers’ lineup came out swinging from the start against Padres starter Dylan Cease.

Making his first career appearance on three days’ rest, Cease couldn’t handle the pressure as the Dodgers scored three runs in the first two innings and added two more in the third, giving the bullpen a solid 5-0 lead.

Instead of collapsing like in 2022, the Dodgers bullpen had eight pitchers combine to secure the team’s first postseason shutout since the 2020 Wild Card round and their first postseason road win since Game 5 of the 2021 NLDS.

“Our bullpen is special,” left-hander Alex Vesia said. “We’ve got eight, nine, 10 guys that can all come in in very high-leverage situations, and I think it shows.”

Because of that, the Dodgers live to see at least one more game.

“When you get into the postseason, it’s a street fight,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Your desire has got to be more than your opponent. And for me to see our guys go through what they’ve been through and respond the way they have, it really makes me excited about Game 5.”

Mookie Betts set the tone in the first inning with a solo home run and Los Angeles never let off the gas.

“We just kept adding on,” Hernández said. “We slugged, we rallied, went station to station… We played a great game overall.”

Photo Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

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