Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) – Geovany Soto and Aramis Ramirez homered and the Cubs scored six times in the first three innings to land a 7-3 win against the Dodgers in the continuation of a four-game series from Chavez Ravine.
Starlin Castro knocked in two with a pair of singles while Soto finished 3- for-4 with three RBI. Starter Tom Gorzelanny (4-5) limited Los Angeles to six hits and two runs, only one earned, with seven strikeouts against one walk over six innings for Chicago, which came into this set fresh off a three-game sweep of Arizona before dropping the first two games in LA.
John Ely (4-7) again was roughed up in the start for LA, lasting just 2 1/3 innings and giving up six runs on five hits and three walks. The struggling rookie went just 2 2/3 frames and yielded six runs his last time out and has lost six of his last seven decisions.
All-Star Andre Ethier knocked in his 53rd and 54th runs of the season for the Dodgers, who had won three of four and five of their previous seven matchups.
The Cubs started their assault on Ely in the second when Marlon Byrd drew a leadoff walk, advanced on a groundout and scored on Castro’s single to center. Soto followed with his ninth home run of the year to left for a 3-0 edge.
Chicago loaded the bases with one away an inning later and Alfonso Soriano forced in a run with a walk. That would be all for Ely, who was replaced on the bump by Travis Schlichting.
Chicago was undeterred, though, and Castro ripped a single to left to score Ramirez. Byrd was thrown out at home on the play, but Soto kept things going with a two-out base hit into right field to make it a 6-0 contest.
Los Angeles managed to get a runner to second just once in the first four innings until breaking through in the fifth. Xavier Paul got on with an infield single to start and Rafael Furcal singled two batters later to make it first and second.
After Jamey Carroll flied out, Ethier came through with a two-out hit to left- center to bring in Paul and a throwing error on Byrd allowed Furcal to cross home for a four-run deficit.
Ramirez launched a solo home run in the seventh off Carlos Monasterios to get one back while Sean Marshall, Andrew Cashner and James Russell combined to keep the Dodgers from getting any closer through the seventh and eighth.
Carlos Marmol came on for the ninth and allowed Ethier’s second RBI-hit of the game but recovered to get James Loney on an infield pop fly with runners at the corners to end the game.
Chicago’s had dropped seven of nine visits to Dodger Stadium coming in…The Cubs won two of three meetings with the Dodgers at Wrigley Field back in late May…Los Angeles was 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11. Paul and Ethier had the lone multi-hit efforts in defeat…Ramirez’s homer was his 10th this season. He had two hits and scored two runs. Derrek Lee also had two hits for Chicago.