Yasiel Puig Scores On Michael Taylor’s Error In Ninth, Dodgers Beat Nationals 4-3

Yasiel Puig delivered a walk-off, 4-3 home victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night by scoring the winning run on his own single after center fielder Michael Taylor let the ball skip by him for a three-base error.

Yasiel Puig Scores On Michael Taylor’s Error In Ninth, Dodgers Beat Nationals 4-3

Puig sprinted to first base after Taylor overran the rolling single to left-center field. Howie Kendrick scored easily from first, and Puig dove home even though there was no throw to beat.

Per Statcast™, Puig’s home-to-home time came in at 15.20 seconds, tying him with Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis on Tuesday for the fastest home-to-home time of 2016.

“I was ready for the hit and nobody thought the ball would go through,” the 25-year-old Cuban right fielder said, “so when I did see the ball go through, I had to talk to my hamstring so I could figure out far I could go on the bases.”

The Dodgers have now won six straight — five in comeback fashion–including their now-complete three-game sweep of the Nationals.

Wilson Ramos had given Washington a late lead with a solo homer in the eighth, but the ninth-inning rally against Shawn Kelley ultimately won Los Angeles the game.  The Nationals have now lost a season-high five consecutive games.

“This is a test. Nobody said it was going to be easy,” Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. “That’s why you try to build as many games above .500 as you can because you’re going to go through, every team’s going to go through a period like this.”

Both teams got strong starts from their young pitchers, with the Dodgers’ Julio Urias, 19, and the Nationals’ Joe Ross, 23, each allowing two earned runs in a combined 11 innings. Urias was limited to around 90 pitches heading into the game and didn’t use them efficiently enough to reach the game’s later innings.

“I struggled a bit as opposed to the other starts, but the good thing is the team was able to win at the end,” the Mexican left-hander said through an interpreter. “The curve and the fastball just weren’t there. It wasn’t until the last inning until I felt more comfortable with it.”

Ross left the game in the seventh with one out and runners on second and third, but left-hander Oliver Perez worked his way out of the jam by striking out Kiké Hernandez and forcing Corey Seager into a flyout. Perez had been struggling recently, allowing five runs in 2 2/3 innings in his last six outings.

The game was close in the first three innings, with the Dodgers kicking things off in the first with Chase Utley’s 1000th career run. Consecutive doubles from Washington’s No. 8 and 9 hitters, Danny Espinosa and Ross, gave the Nationals a 2-1 lead that was erased by Seager’s team-leading 16th homer of the year in the third.

The worst night of Taylor’s young career began with him going 0-for-5 at the plate with five strikeouts, before his misplay in the ninth inning sealed it.

“I know this isn’t the player that I am,” the 25-year-old center fielder said. “Just a bad day.”

Both teams have an off-day Thursday. The Nationals (43-30, 1st in NL East) will begin a three-game series against the Brewers in Milwaukee on Friday, with Max Scherzer taking the mound. Meanwhile, the Dodgers (41-33, 2nd in NL West) will visit the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night for the first of a four-game series.