Dodgers Beat Cubs on Justin Turner's Walk-Off Home Run in Game 2 of NLCS

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in control of the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs after Justin Turner played hero in Sunday's 4-1 Game 2 win at Dodger Stadium.  

Turner drilled a walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning off starter-working-in-relief John Lackey, all while Chicago manager Joe Maddon allowed All-Star closer Wade Davis to watch from the bullpen.

Turner also drove in the Dodgers' other run in the fifth inning when they were trailing 1-0 and gave his team a commanding 2-0 series lead.

ESPN Stats and Info pointed out Turner's blast came on the 29th anniversary of the most famous home run in Dodger history:

With shortstop Corey Seager off the NLCS roster because of injury, someone in the Dodgers lineup had to carry the load. Turner did so in dramatic fashion after the bats of both teams were silenced throughout the majority of the contest.

While neither starting pitcher factored into the decision, both were impressive in the early going.

Jon Lester—who won co-MVP in last year's NLCS against the Dodgers by allowing two earned runs in 13 innings—gave up a run and three hits in 4.2 innings while working on short rest. His only issue was five walks, which drove his pitch count to 103 and led to his exit in the fifth.

Anthony DiComo of MLB.com noted he moved up in the history books:

Rich Hill didn't match his counterpart's history but allowed just a solo homer to Addison Russell and scattered three hits with eight strikeouts and one walk in five innings. It was a similar performance to his NLCS outing last year when he threw six scoreless innings in a Game 3 victory.

The former Cub gave his team an opportunity to win in a bullpen-oriented game, which is exactly what the Dodgers were looking for given the postseason discrepancy between Chicago's starters and bullpen entering play Sunday:

The starters escaped jams in the third, as Hill retired Jon Jay and Kris Bryant with Javier Baez on third, and Lester induced an Enrique Hernandez flyout with runners on second and third. However, the fifth ended their days thanks to Russell's leadoff homer and Turner's RBI single three batters after a Charlie Culberson double.

That the Dodgers won off Chicago's bullpen isn't much of a surprise considering the unit's struggles throughout the playoffs, but it wasn't a normal relief pitcher who allowed the decisive drive.

Carl Edwards Jr. struck out Chase Utley with two runners on to end the fifth and pitched a scoreless sixth, Pedro Strop notched a scoreless seventh, and Brian Duensing escaped a jam in the eighth by getting Austin Barnes to ground into a double play.

It was a notable performance from the group until Duensing walked Yasiel Puig in the ninth and handed the ball to Lackey after tallying the first two outs of the inning. Chicago's fifth starter—who pitched in relief in Saturday's Game 1 as well—proceeded to walk Chris Taylor and give up the game-winner to Turner.

Los Angeles received two shutout innings from Brandon Morrow, a scoreless eighth from the Josh Fields and Tony Watson, and the typical dominance in the ninth from Kenley Jansen.

Attention and the series now shifts to Wrigley Field in Chicago for Games 3 through 5 (barring a Dodgers sweep), with Game 3 scheduled for Tuesday.

Yu Darvish will take the ball for the Dodgers, while Kyle Hendricks will counter with Chicago's World Series defense hanging in the balance. The Cubs won two of three games in Wrigley in last year's NLCS against the Dodgers and will need to do at least that well again this year to send the series back to Los Angeles.