Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor HRs Push Dodgers to 1-0 NLCS Lead over Cubs

On the strength of a go-ahead, solo home run by outfielder Chris Taylor in the sixth inning and an insurance homer by Yasiel Puig in the seventh, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Chicago Cubs 5-2 on Saturday in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium in L.A.  

Although the Dodgers got just five innings out of ace Clayton Kershaw, five relievers combined to throw four innings of no-hit baseball in the victory.

Kershaw allowed four hits, one walk and two earned runs to go along with four strikeouts in the no decision, while Cubs starter Jose Quintana gave up two hits, two walks and two earned runs with four strikeouts in his five innings of work.

Kenta Maeda was the winning pitcher for the Dodgers, Hector Rondon took the loss for the Cubs, and Kenley Jansen was credited with the save.

Although the Dodgers flipped the script in comparison to Game 1 of last year's NLCS against the Cubs by coming out on top, things looked ominous for L.A. in the fourth inning.

Cubs outfielder Albert Almora Jr. connected with a two-run home run off Kershaw to put the Cubs ahead 2-0, as seen in this video courtesy of Fox Sports MLB:

The homer was the first extra-base hit of Almora's postseason career, but it marked a continuation of his success against lefties, as he hit a scorching .342 off them during the regular season.

Chris Emma of 670 The Score noted how far the 23-year-old has come:

In stark contrast, the home run was another black mark on Kershaw's checkered playoff resume, as he became the first pitcher in Dodgers history to allow five homers in a single postseason, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Kershaw's offense picked him up in the following inning, though, when Puig cut the deficit to 2-1 with an RBI double and shortstop Charlie Culberson tied the game with a sacrifice fly.

It was a big moment for Culberson, who started in place of the injured Corey Seager after it was announced earlier in the day that Seager was being left off the NLCS roster because of a back ailment.

After the Culberson sac fly, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pinch hit for Kershaw with catcher Kyle Farmer.

Farmer grounded out and left a man in scoring position, but MLB.com's Mike Petriello praised the decision to pinch hit in that situation:

While the move didn't pay dividends in that moment, the Dodgers bullpen made Roberts look like a genius by locking down the Cubs the rest of the way.

They also benefited from Taylor's big bat, as he put Los Angeles on top 3-2 in the sixth with a solo shot off Rondon, who replaced Quintana:

The Dodgers added to their advantage in the seventh when Puig led off the inning by cranking the first home run of his playoff career:

Puig has been an offensive catalyst for the Dodgers during these playoffs, which seemed unlikely as recently as one year ago.

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times pointed out that it wasn't long ago that Puig had fallen out of favor with the organization:

Another important insurance run was tacked on later in the inning when Culberson scored on a Justin Turner single.

Culberson was initially ruled out, but upon review, it was determined that Cubs catcher Willson Contreras blocked the plate with his leg and did not provide Culberson a lane, so he was called safe.

That decision incensed Cubs manager Joe Maddon, who was tossed from the contest after arguing.

After the game, Maddon expressed dismay with the rule, but didn't blame the umpires for their decision, according to ESPN.com's Jesse Rogers:

"I cannot disagree more with the interpretation of the rule, however, I will defend the umpires. The umpires did everything according to what they've been told. From day one, I've disagreed with the content of the rule. That was a beautifully done major league play that gets interpreted tantamount to the soda tax in Chicago."

The three-run cushion was more than the Dodgers needed to hold on to the victory with Tony Watson getting two outs in the eighth and Jansen recording the final four outs of the ballgame.

Los Angeles improved to 4-0 in the playoffs after sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS, and its struggles late in the regular season appear to be a thing of the past.

The Dodgers will have an opportunity to take a commanding 2-0 series lead on the defending World Series champions Sunday when Rich Hill takes the mound to contest Jon Lester.