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MILWAUKEE -- After his all-star closer threw two innings a night earlier, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts insisted that Kenley Jansen was not available Saturday against the Brewers at Miller Park. But late in the game, Jansen called down to the dugout with a message for Roberts.
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"I just talked to him and said, listen, if something crazy happens, I'm still available and I'm going to be mentally ready," Jansen said.
It's a good thing Jansen made the call because sure enough, crazy things did happen in the form of a ninth-inning go-ahead grand slam from Chris Taylor that required Roberts to call on Jansen to close the door on Milwaukee, which he did with ease as the Dodgers rallied for a 10-8 victory.
"He called down late and said his arm felt good," said Roberts, whose team has come from behind in 16 of its 35 victories this season. "For me, I trust him. If he says his arm feels good ... the last 10 days, he's been used three times. I know he pitched two innings yesterday, but he felt good. If there was a save opportunity there, we wanted to close it out."
The Dodgers' bullpen has been a saving grace all season but needed a bailout of its own Saturday after Josh Fields blew a 4-3 lead by giving up back-to-back home runs in the seventh, including a grand slam by third baseman Travis Shaw that made it 8-4.
Los Angeles' offense came through with a run in the eighth off Wily Peralta then broke through in the ninth against Carlos Torres, who was handling closing duties because Milwaukee's late-inning specialists, Corey Knebel and Jacob Barnes, were on the shelf after making three straight appearances.
"I thought we kind of got to the ninth inning the way we wanted to in good shape," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "I was comfortable with Carlos going out with a three-run lead."
Torres retired Chase Utley on a lineup to open the inning but walked Corey Seager and caught a bad break when Jesus Aguilar, who had homered earlier in the game to give Milwaukee a 3-2 lead, misplayed a grounder by Yasmani Grandal.
Instead of going for the easy out at first, he tried to throw for a force at second but instead, hit Seager with his throw to put two on and bring up the tying run in pinch-hitter Austin Barnes.
Barnes loaded the bases with a base hit through the hole at short and up came Taylor, who already had two hits on the day.
"I knew he had a good cutter so I was just trying to look for a pitch over the middle," Taylor said. I didn't want to expand away. That's where he gets his outs."
Taylor fell behind 0-2, but Torres' third offering was a cutter over the plate and Taylor got all of it, sending it off the batter's eye in center to put the Dodgers ahead.
"It was supposed to be away," Torres said. "I'm going to go ahead and assume I didn't get it away since he hit it into center field. It was a mistake pitch and he put a good swing on it and hit it. It was a good at-bat."
Los Angeles' late rally softened the blow of a disappointing start by Rich Hill, who lasted only four innings and allowed three runs -- two earned -- with four walks and five strikeouts.
Milwaukee right-hander Matt Garza also went only four innings. He gave up two runs -- one earned -- on three hits and also walked four batters, striking out a pair but had to leave the game after suffering a chest contusion when he collided with Aguilar trying to make a play at first in the fourth inning.
"The best thing would have been for me to fall down," Garza said. "Since I stood up and took it all, I kind of absorbed everything. Aggie is a big, strong guy. Like I said, I got hit by a truck, and not a Ford Ranger. Like a Ford F-350, a big boy. I was pretty sore and we'll get back tomorrow."
NOTES: INF Logan Forsythe was held out of the Dodgers' starting lineup Saturday because a sore groin and hip. Manager Dave Roberts said Forsythe would be available to pinch-hit and was expected to return to the lineup Sunday. ... Prior to RHP Matt Garza's four-inning start Saturday, Brewers' starters had gone 4-1 with a 1.40 ERA in their last eight games. ... The series concludes Sunday with Brewers RHP Zach Davies (5-3, 5.18 ERA) facing Dodgers RHP Kenta Maeda (4-2, 5.21).
