Game Recap: Dodgers show off power in win over Cubs |
CHICAGO - You had to think the Los Angeles Dodgers (12-11) would figure things out as a team. Despite missing several key components from the past few seasons, they are too talented to hover around .500 for too long.
Perhaps a trip to Wrigley Field to take on the Chicago Cubs (12-9) was what they needed for their bats to get going and for them to get back on track. Already with a series lead and the season series tied 3-3, the season series was on the line Sunday as Marcus Stroman took on Clayton Kershaw. Stroman has been lights out in his four starts this season and entered Sunday with the lowest ERA in the majors at 0.75. Hoping to continue his run, Stroman was due for a rough outing and labored through five innings for his first start of fewer than six innings this season. Stroman allowed five runs on six hits, with several homers doing the most damage. He walked one and struck out five as he reached the 1000 career strikeout milestone during his outing. On the other hand, Kershaw is having a very nice bounce-back season, especially after struggling the past couple. He is coming off a milestone start in his own right, as he picked up his 200th career victory last time out. Kershaw has had up-and-down success against this Cubs team, but Sunday saw him have success as he got through six innings of three-run, three-hit ball with only one run being earned. Most of the damage off of Kershaw came in the first inning when a leadoff error allowed Nico Hoerner to reach base to get the Cubs started. Hoerner has reached base safely in 16 straight games and leads the majors in hits. That error allowed Hoerner to reach second, which benefitted the Cubs as he came around to score on the Cody Bellinger single. Bellinger showed great awareness by advancing to second on the throw home. That extra 90 minutes proved pivotal for the Cubs, with Seiya Suzuki adding an RBI single shortly after to double the Cubs early lead 2-0. When you look at how Stroman's first four starts have gone, two runs would typically be enough, but this is the Dodgers. James Outman has had a monster series against the Cubs and added a double in the second before being stranded on the bases. The Dodgers bats continued to make some noise in the third, with Austin Barnes picking up the one-out single and going home on the Mookie Betts homer to tie things up 2-2. Betts is starting to heat up after a slow start, and it is no secret the Dodgers offense is scoring more because of it. Take that homer away, and Stroman continued to deliver strong outings as he retired eight of the next nine hitters he faced to keep the score tied 2-2 in the fifth. The same could be true about Kershaw, who struggled initially but then got into a very nice groove. That was until Yan Gomes led off the bottom of the fifth with his fourth homer of the season to put the Cubs in front 3-2. Yan Gomes - Chicago Cubs (4) pic.twitter.com/ptBvgeGlqd
Three of his four homers have come against the Dodgers, as he has gotten off to a surprisingly good start to 2023. Hoping to make it five for five in terms of starts of six innings and two runs or less, that quickly went out the window as Freddie Freeman led off the sixth with a walk ahead of the Max Muncy homer that put the Dodgers in front for good 4-3. Muncy now leads the majors in homers with 11 and had four against the Cubs this weekend and five against them this season. One batter later saw JD Martinez make it 5-3 as the Dodgers went back to back off Stroman as all five of their runs allowed up to this point came on three homers. That was the final hitter Stroman would face as he was relieved by Brandon Hughes and the Cubs pen. Whether it was Hughes or Keegan Thompson, the Cubs remained in the game as those two pitched a clean three innings. Looking to get to the Dodgers pen as they did in Los Angeles, Brusdar Graterol took over in the eighth after Justin Bruihl tossed a scoreless seventh. Outside of allowing a bloop double from Bellinger, Graterol was strong as the game went to the ninth with the Dodgers in front 5-3. Hoping to get back into his early season groove, Michael Fulmer took the ball for the ninth, as his luck against the Dodgers hasn't been good. Fulmer has allowed nine earned runs this season, with eight coming against this Dodgers team. That included the two more he allowed today on the Betts double that pushed the Dodgers lead to 7-3 and had the Cubs on the ropes. Down to their final three outs, you knew the Cubs would battle, as this team has shown plenty of fight this season. A leadoff single from Patrick Wisdom was a good start, as was a catcher interference that allowed Trey Mancini to reach. Following a Luis Torrens line out to left, Gomes smoked one to right field as the Cubs had the bases loaded and a chance to make things interesting. Unfortunately, that was not in the cards as Graterol got Nick Madrigal to bounce into a Taylor-made game-ending double play as the Dodgers took the series finale 7-3 and the season series 4-3. Chicago had six hits in the ballgame, with Gomes and Bellinger leading the way with two. Suzuki and Wisdom had the other two, as the Cubs will enjoy a much-needed off day Monday before the Padres come to town Tuesday. "I'm excited to go to battle with these guys. We're going to obviously have ups and downs throughout the year. That's normal."@STR0 following Sunday's finale. pic.twitter.com/cUom8n0GRS
