Dodgers Set Franchise Record,13th straight Road Win, During 3-0 Victory Over Cubs

The Cubs are really really bad you guys. No seriously, if you don’t truly know just how bad the Cubs are, then you have to sit down and watch them play to see. It’s almost comical. The Cubs are so horrible that Don Mattingly had all the confidence in the world to rest half of the regulars today. A.J. Ellis, Adrian Gonzalez, Mark Ellis, and Juan Uribe were all resting. I don’t how how the Cubs fans put up with this every year.

Hey playing the Cubs is the perfect time to rest your regulars. The Dodgers were still able to beat the Cubs for the third straight game by a score of 3-0 using most of their entire B-team. The Dodgers even gifted the Cubs with three more outs on the base paths, and the Dodgers still won fairly easily.

The Cubs just Suck!

Chris Capuano who may be moved into the bullpen at some point next week, made a strong case to stick around by pitching 6.1 shutout frames. He allowed just six hits and whiffed five with one walk. His mound opponent long-haired Jeff Samardzija wasn’t terrible but couldn’t find the strike zone most of the game. Samardzija tossed seven innings allowing three runs on seven hits, walked five and whiffed nine. How did Samardzija whiff nine? I’ll never know. Those walks came back to haunt Samardzija and the Cubs as the Dodgers get a historic win.

Capuano turned in a strong performance-David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

As you all know the Dodgers have now broken the all time franchise record with 13 consecutive road wins. The Dodgers haven’t lost a road game since July 6, and can sweep the four game series over the Cubs with a win tomorrow. The Dodgers have now won 30 of their last 37 games (this being their 60th win of the season.) What an incredible stretch!

The Dodgers scored one run in the third when Yasiel Puig bunted for a hit, went to third on Crawford’s single, and scored on a ground ball single from Jerry Hairston. The Dodgers plated two more needed insurance runs in the sixth. Schumaker walked, went to third on a Fedex double, and both runners scored on Carl Crawford’s two-run single.

The Cubs had their chances throughout the game, but they’re the Cubs, so you know, they’re uhhh not uhhhh good or anything. If the Cubs can blow a game, they will. The Cubs hit into four double plays today, and left seven men on base. The Dodgers left 11 men on base and were 2 for 12 with RISP. The Dodgers still won anyways as they had three runs on ten hits. Crawford had a three hit day, and Puig and Ethier had two hits each. The game even featured a Matt Guerrier sighting later on. Paco Rodriguez escaped a bases loaded two-out jam in the bottom of the eighth by whiffing Wellington Castillo to end that threat. (Castillo’s name sounds like a steak dinner.)

The win was tempered by an injury to Yasiel Puig’s wrist or hand. Puig had to leave the game in the eighth inning after he made a diving catch in the seventh and hurt his hand. We don’t think it’s serious, so we’ll keep you updated on his status. (According to Dylan Hernandez, it’s a wrist contusion and he may or may not play tomorrow.) Let’s check out the highlights from this one…

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) makes a diving catch on a ball hit by Chicago Cubs shortstop

(not pictured) during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field.- David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Carl Crawford begins the top of the first with an infield single that deflects off of Samardzija’s leg. Crawford is then immediately thrown out trying to steal. Not sure if that was a blown hit and run? Yasiel Puig beats out an infield single to short, as Starlin Castro slips and falls down while fielding Puig’s grounder. With a man on first, Hanley Ramirez is struck out. Andre Ethier’s long fly ball to center is the third out.

Capuano allows a single to Junior Lake to lead off the bottom of the first. Lake now has seven hits against the Dodgers in this series. Capuano recovers nicely to induce Cole Gillespie to ground into a double play. Anthony Rizzo’s fly out to Crawford ends the inning.

Samardzija walks two in the top of the second but gets out of it. Jerry Hairston walks. Samardzjia easily whiffs Skip Schumaker. Scott Van Slyke draws the second walk of the frame. But Tim Federwoicz, and Capuano both whiff and we move to the bottom of the second.

Puig is a wild horse-David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Capuano tosses another scoreless frame in the bottom of the second. Wellington Castillo flies out. Castro an infield single, and Cody Ransom reaches on a fielding error. Capuano whiffs Nate Schierholtz, and gets Darwin Barney to line out to Hanley.

The Dodgers take the lead in the top of the third. Puig reaches on a one-out bunt single to third. No joke here folks, Puig bunted for a hit. After Hanley pops out, Ethier singles through the hole at first and second into right field, Puig hustles to third. Jerry Hairston a ground ball single over second base to score Puig, but Ethier is caught in a rundown between second and third, after Puig had already scored. The Dodgers lead 1-0. That makes that the ten thousandth Dodger runner thrown out on the base paths since yesterday.

In the bottom of the third, Puig makes a great leaping attempt against the wall on Samardjiza’s long foul to right field. It looked like Puig had made a great catch as the ball had actually bounced off the wall, and then slipped out of his glove but he grabbed it on the way down. The umpire’s overruled the catch as replays had shown the ball hit the wall. Fair enough. Capuano eventually gets Samardzjia to pop out, and then whiffs Lake and Gillespie.

Samardzija’s wildness comes back to haunt him in the top of the fourth. Schumaker walks. Van Slyke is hit by a pitch in the hip, putting runners at first and second for the Dodgers. Fedex flies to right, Schumaker tags up to third. With first and third, Capuano puts down a bunt, and Samardzija’s throw to second is high pulling Darwin Barney off the bag, leaving everyone safe. That brings up Crawford with the bases loaded. Of course Crawford whiffs on a 3-2 slider in the dirt, and that brings up Puig with two outs.

Capuano tosses a scoreless bottom of the fourth. A one-out walk to Castillo matters not as Cappy gets Castro to hit into a sweet inning ending double play. Both pitchers exchange scoreless fifth innings, as Schumaker makes a great play to turn another inning ending double play to get out of the fifth. That’s two in a row now.

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Skip Schumaker (55) flips the ball to shortstop Hanley Ramirez (13) to force out Chicago Cubs third baseman Cody Ransom (not pictured) during the fifth inning at Wrigley Field.-David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Dodgers score two more in the top of the sixth. Samardzija walks Schumaker. He whiffs Van Slyke for the first out. Fedex delivers with a line drive double down the right field line that sends Schumaker to third. Capuano strikes out for the second out. Crawford’s bloop single to right scores Schumaker, and Fedex to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. Puig is walked to load the bases, but Hanley chases a pitch in the dirt, and his whiff ends the rally.

Hector Rondon takes over for Samardzija in the top of the seventh. Samardzija throws six frames allowing three runs on seven hits. He walked five and whiffed nine, but fortunately I don’t have to spell his name anymore. Ethier leads off the seventh frame with a single, but he is erased on the bases during Hairston’s force play. And then Schumaker’s double play ends the inning.

The Cubs threaten in the bottom of the seventh. Castillo doubles. Puig makes a fantastic diving catch of Castro’s sinking liner to right. Puig is visibly shaken up on the play and the Dodgers have to check on him. He appears to be alright but it looks like he hurt his wrist. Schierholtz singles Castillo to third. Capuano is then removed and Brandon League swoops in to get Cody Ransom to hit into yet another inning ending double play.

Puig is removed from the game in the bottom of the eighth. Schumaker takes over in right. Ronald Belisario takes over on the mound for the Dodgers, and makes life hard for the boys in blue, but the Dodgers escape trouble. Barney singles. David Dejesus lines out to Crawford. Lake’s force play removes Barney from the base paths. Gillespie’s single puts two runners aboard. Mattingly comes out again to take out Belisario and bring in Paco Rodriguez to pitch to Anthony Rizzo, and Castillo. Rizzo walks to load the bases, but Paco whiffs Castillo on a 3-2 pitch. The Dodgers preserve the lead.

Move to the bottom of the ninth. Kenley Jansen whiffs Castro. Schierholtz grounds out, and Cody Ransom goes down whiffing for the last out. The Dodgers win again! Final score of 3-0. Jansen has now retired 22 consecutive batters.

Tomorrow the Dodgers go for the series sweep of the lowly Cubs. Either Stephen Fife will take the mound for the Dodgers or Zack Greinke. The Dodgers still have yet to announce. Either way they’ll face Carlos Villanueva, who is on the bump for the Cubs. The Major League record for consecutive road wins is 16. The Dodgers are three wins shy of tying that record. Tune in to Prime Ticket tomorrow at 11:20 AM to catch the series finale. Tune into Lasorda’s Lair after the game too! I assure you unlike KCAL 9 we won’t be blacked out.