Taylor clears bases in 8-run fifth, Dodgers beat Braves 9-5

ATLANTA (AP) — Chris Taylor hit a bases-loaded double in the eight-run fifth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 9-5 Friday night in a rematch of last year’s NL Championship Series.

In the teams’ first meeting since the defending World Series champion Dodgers rallied from a 3-1 deficit, Los Angeles sent 13 batters to the plate in the top of the fifth, which lasted over 40 minutes.

Braves starter Ian Anderson (4-3), facing Los Angeles for the first time in the regular season and the first time since Game 7 of the NLCS, retired the first nine batters he faced, five by strikeout, before allowing two walks in the fourth. He began the unravel in the fifth, walking Taylor and giving up his lone hit, a double by Gavin Lux.

Los Angeles tied it at 1-all when third baseman Austin Riley fielded A.J. Pollock’s grounder and hit Taylor in the back with his throw home, allowing a run to score. Lux used a headfirst slide to cross the plate on pitcher Julio Urías’ bunt that Anderson fielded in front of the mound and flipped too late to catcher William Contreras.

Reliever Sean Newcomb walked Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger with the bases loaded to make it 4-1 before Will Smith singled for a 5-1 lead and Taylor doubled. Newcomb and Grant Dayton combined to allow four runs and five walks for a bullpen that began the night with a 4.79 ERA, fifth-worst in the majors.

Freddie Freeman homered for the 13th time to make it 1-0 in the first.

Urías (8-2) was facing the Braves for the first time since closing them out with three perfect innings in Game 7 of the NLCS. He allowed four hits and two walks with five strikeouts in five innings.

Los Angeles, which had four hits and walked eight times, added a run in the ninth. The Dodgers have won three of four and 16 of 22 to...

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