Dodgers beat Braves 11-2 to extend NLCS

LOS ANGELES (AP) — For a guy who dislikes drama, Chris Taylor sure provided plenty of it.

Taylor hit three homers and drove in six runs, joining the likes of Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth in October baseball lore, as the Los Angeles Dodgers broke loose at the plate to beat Atlanta 11-2 on Thursday, cutting the Braves' lead to 3-2 in the best-of-seven NL Championship Series.

"It's cool. It's definitely a surreal feeling for me," Taylor said. "I never thought I was going to hit three homers in a game, let alone a postseason game, and it just still hasn't really sunk in."

AJ Pollock had two home runs and four RBIs for the defending champion Dodgers, who have won seven straight postseason elimination games dating to last season. They also trailed 0-2 and 13 against Atlanta in the NLCS last year before rallying to win three straight at a neutral site in Texas.

"We needed to make a statement," the mild-mannered Taylor said. "They put it on us yesterday. We had to respond."

Game 6 is Saturday in Atlanta, where the Braves get two more chances to clinch their first trip to the World Series since 1999.

"I guess when our backs are against the wall we play our best and fight, but that's just not an ideal spot to be in," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

After mustering only four hits during a 9-2 loss in Game 4 that pushed them to the brink of elimination, the desperate Dodgers rapped out eight hits by the third inning off Max Fried. They finished with 17, a club record for a postseason game, and also equaled a postseason franchise mark with five home runs.

The Dodgers got to Fried with four consecutive hits in the second. Pollock hit a tying homer and Taylor drove the first pitch he saw to left field, putting Los Angeles in front for good, 3-2.

Starting in place of injured Justin Turner at third base, Taylor became the second Dodgers player with a three-homer game in the playoffs. Kiké Hernández also did it in Game 5 of the 2017 NLCS against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field as Los Angeles won its first pennant in 29 years.