He did it again.

Every time you are about to throw in the towel on 32-year-old Dodgers utility infielder/outfielder Chris Taylor, he comes up with a huge game-changing – or game-winning – home run; not just once in a while, but every time.

This time it was with one out in the top of the eighth inning with runners on first and second and the NL West first-place Los Angeles Dodgers trailing the NL Central first-place Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of 7-5.

On a 2-0 count, the Virginia Beach, VA native and fifth-round draft pick in 2012 by the Seattle Mariners out of the University of Virginia absolutely crushed a 96.5-MPH sinker from 27-year-old Pirates right-hander Colin Holderman, sending it 422 feet into the (cold) Pittsburgh sky in very deep left-center field of PNC Park for a three-run home run to give the Dodgers an 8-7 lead and final score.

“Yeah, I had some results. That was different. It felt good,” Taylor told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson postgame. “It’s no secret I’ve been grinding a little bit. To help the team out, it felt really good to come up in a big spot like that.”

Grinding a little bit, indeed. Taylor entered the game having gone 5-for-51 (.111). However, and here’s where that ‘every time’ thing comes into play, four of those five hits have been home runs.

Make that five of his now eight hits home runs, having also singled twice on the night, to improve his batting average to a slightly better .163

“It’s great. He’s been, as we all know, he’s been trying to grind through some things and been struggling,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters postgame. “But when he’s up there, you always feel good that something good’s gonna happen because of his work and preparation. I thought he swung the bat really well tonight and that was a big hit and gave us a big boost,” added the Dodgers skipper.

The biggest hit of the season for Taylor.

With the win, the Dodgers are now 13-11 on the young season, first in the NL West with a 0.5-game lead over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks and a 1.5-game lead over the San Diego Padres.

Granted, being 8-for-55 is a far cry from having a good season, but Taylor’s (now) five home runs are currently third-most on the team behind Max Muncy‘s MLB-leading 11 and James Outman‘s seven.

Play Ball!

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