Big bats not enough against dodgers
By Lucas Belcher |
| source |
Cubs fans had plenty to cheer about throughout Thursday night's series opener, but four solo home runs were not enough to bring the NL West leading Dodgers back to earth.
L.A. (58-49) marks their 11th win in 13 tries as they continue to separate themselves from the rest of West. Chicago moves to 49-59, dropping four of their last five.
The North Siders' offense was provided by what fans are hoping will become a deadly duo in the years to come as Junior Lake and Anthony Rizzo teamed up for two solo home runs each. The sluggers went back-to-back in the bottom of the first, giving the Cubs an early 2-0 lead.
Cubs' starting pitcher Chris Rusin would only hold the lead until the third, when the lefty surrendered two runs of his own to a Hanley Ramirez double. But Dodgers' starter Ricky Nolasco handed the lead right back to him after Lake notched his second homer of the game and his 4th of the season.
L.A. continued to scatter hits against Rusin until the sixth when ex-Cub Jerry Hairston came up with a two-run single to give the Dodgers their first lead of night. A single by Adrian Gonzalez scored Hairston to make it 5-3, and the Dodgers never looked back.
Rizzo added his second blast of the day in the eighth off lefty reliever Paco Rodriguez, but Dodgers' starlet Yasiel Puig added insurance with a solo homer of his own in the ninth. Closer Kenley Jansen's 15th save meant a win for Nolasco, as he improves to 7-9 on the season.Rusin finished the day posting four earned runs in five innings, falling to 1-1 overall.
The Cubs managed only five hits Thursday night, but the two-man slugfest was an encouraging sign for the young club. General Manager Theo Epstein hopes he has the early foundation for the middle of his team's lineup, and fans are becoming increasingly familiar with Lake's patent-pending, vicious swings.
Chicago gets a chance to even the series with a day game at 3:05 p.m. against the Dodgers on Friday. They'll send out the reliable Travis Wood, boasting a 7-7 record to go along with a stellar 2.79 ERA. The Dodgers will turn to Korean rookie Hyun-Jin Ryu. The left-hander has had a very solid season despite a few ups and downs, sporting a 9-3 record with a 3.14 ERA. Fans can expect a great pitching dual from these two rising youngsters with both starters coming off impressive wins in their previous outsings.
(watch the game recap here)
The Cubs managed only five hits Thursday night, but the two-man slugfest was an encouraging sign for the young club. General Manager Theo Epstein hopes he has the early foundation for the middle of his team's lineup, and fans are becoming increasingly familiar with Lake's patent-pending, vicious swings.
Chicago gets a chance to even the series with a day game at 3:05 p.m. against the Dodgers on Friday. They'll send out the reliable Travis Wood, boasting a 7-7 record to go along with a stellar 2.79 ERA. The Dodgers will turn to Korean rookie Hyun-Jin Ryu. The left-hander has had a very solid season despite a few ups and downs, sporting a 9-3 record with a 3.14 ERA. Fans can expect a great pitching dual from these two rising youngsters with both starters coming off impressive wins in their previous outsings.
(watch the game recap here)
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