LOS ANGELES _ Welcome to the playoff roster, Hector Rondon.
The Dodgers are glad you could make it.
Center fielder Chris Taylor greeted the Cubs reliever to the postseason by sending his second pitch to start the sixth inning 401 feet into the bleachers in right-center field for a solo home run that gave his team the lead and revived the late-arriving, sellout Dodger Stadium crowd of 54,289.
What is it with players named Taylor killing the Cubs this postseason? First, Michael Taylor of the Nationals hit two in consecutive National League Division Series games and now Chris of the Dodgers, who changed Game 1 of the NLCS, helping the Dodgers to a 5-2 victory.
Chris Taylor's home run will do nothing but empower critics of Cubs manager Joe Maddon convinced he overmanages in the postseason. Maddon had valid reasons to replace starter Jose Quintana with Rondon _ the Dodgers had two right-handed hitters to start the sixth and Rondon had thrown 10 scoreless innings since Aug. 23. But if Rondon had been so effective lately, why wasn't he on the NLDS roster? And this was a guy who had given up 10 home runs in 571/3 innings during the season.
As rocky as Quintana was in the fifth inning, taking him out after 89 pitches made you wonder what the rush was to get to a weary bullpen that needed six relievers to survive Game 5 against the Nationals 48 hours earlier.
A pitchers' duel turned into a chess match between two managers who love to tinker with their pitching staffs.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts started it by pinch-hitting for ace Clayton Kershaw in the fifth. The Dodgers have the best bullpen in baseball and Roberts obviously trusts it. Kershaw's playoff mountain remains oddly arduous to climb _ the left-hander who threw 87 pitches now has given up 15 home runs in 1001/3 postseason innings. It boded well for the Cubs that the best pitcher on the planet needed 23 pitches to escape a scoreless first inning. It brightened everybody's mood back in rainy Chicago in the fourth when Kershaw left a 3-1 pitch with no movement over the plate and Albert Almora Jr. crushed it for a two-run home run.
Plus, the Cubs had Quintana on the mound pitching masterfully.
Surrendering only two hits through five innings, Quintana gave up two walks that cost him. The rockiest inning for Quintana cost him a chance to go deeper in the game. He threw 29 pitches in the fateful fifth, walking two and giving up a run-scoring double to Yasiel Puig. Before Puig's drive into the left-center gap complicated matters, Quintana faced the minimum number of hitters through four innings and commanded his fastball on both sides of the plate with pinpoint control.
Most impressively, Quintana demonstrated laser focus despite a fitful 48 hours leading up to his second postseason start.
Quintana's wife, Michel, encountered issues with an irregular heartbeat during the Cubs' overnight flight from Washington after Game 5 of the NLDS, forcing the team plane to divert to Albuquerque, N.M. He accompanied his wife to a local hospital and teammate Javy Baez went along with the pitcher for support, a source said.
The rest of the team spent five hours on the ground in New Mexico, forced to change pilots because of FAA regulations restricting hours in the cockpit. Security rules also required the team to stay aboard the 767 jet, a reality Cubs manager Joe Maddon said reinforced the camaraderie he considers one of his team's strengths. To pass the time, the Cubs watched movies and ordered in Chick-Fil-A sandwiches, making the best of the time delay by keeping spirits high, a source said.
Still, Quintana's state of mind concerned the team enough to delay the decision about him starting Game 1 until Saturday.
By late morning, Cubs President Theo Epstein had reached out to check on Quintana and everybody agreed the original plan was the right one. After throwing 12 pitches Thursday against the Nationals in a rare relief appearance that called for all hands on deck, Quintana still wanted the ball to begin the NLCS, the kind of stage he craved since coming to the Cubs in a July trade from the White Sox. John Lackey was an option only if episode drained Quintana enough physically or mentally to affect his preparation. You saw why the Cubs wanted Quintana to meet this moment from his first pitch through his last one.
As for the lineup behind Quintana, the Cubs really should consider finding a sponsor for Maddon's daily surprise. This time, Maddon raised eyebrows inserting Kyle Schwarber into the lineup with a lethal lefty on the mound. Schwarber's first career at-bat against Kershaw came in the second inning, but Maddon, following his gut, figured hitters on both sides of the plate struggle against the guy, so why not play someone who might hit a mistake into the palm trees beyond right field?
The Dodgers countered with an even bigger stunner affecting the series more than any single lineup decision: They left All-Star shortstop Corey Seager off the playoff roster because of an ailing back. Seager can play in the NLCS only if the Dodgers add him because of an injury to another player _ a possibility no conspiracy theorist should rule out for a team that likes to engage in gamesmanship. In a pregame news conference, Seager doubted he would travel to Chicago for Games 3-5 but means too much to the Dodgers to rule out them finagling a way to bring him back. Game 2 starter Jon Lester compared the Dodgers' loss of Seager to the Cubs losing Kris Bryant or Anthony Rizzo _ and Maddon agreed.
"That's a fair comparison," Maddon said.
The Cubs caught a break. But, as Hector Rondon found out, the Dodgers have a deep and dangerous lineup.
