Dodgers Win 12th Straight On Road With 6-2 Victory Over Cubs
CHICAGO (AP) — Mark Ellis extended his hitting streak to 13 games before both he and manager Don Mattingly were ejected, and the Los Angeles Dodgers matched an 89-year-old club record with their 12th straight road victory, beating the Chicago Cubs 6-2 on Friday.
Ellis doubled and scored in the third before being tossed when he and Mattingly argued a called third strike in the fourth inning, but that didn't stop the Dodgers from improving to 12-2 since the All-Star break.
The NL West leaders remained unbeaten on the road since a loss at San Francisco on July 6 and matched the 1924 Brooklyn Robins for the longest streak in franchise history.
Nick Punto added two hits and drove in two runs, and Adrian Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig each added a pair of hits and scored a run for the Dodgers.
Los Angeles took control early, scoring two in the third and two more in the fourth while building a 5-1 lead and chasing All-Star Travis Wood (7-8).
That was enough for Hyun-Jin Ryu (10-3), who became the first Dodgers rookie to win 10 games since Kazuhisa Ishii in 2002. The left-hander matched a season high by allowing 11 hits in 5 1-3 innings but held Chicago to just two runs. He also struck out six without a walk.
Junior Lake became the first Cubs player since at least 1916 to collect four hits twice in his first 16 major league games — and the first in the majors to do so since St. Louis' Bo Hart in 2003.
But with Wood struggling with his control, the Cubs lost for the fifth time in six games.
The left-hander lasted just 3 1-3 innings in his shortest outing of the season, allowing five runs and seven hits. He threw 96 pitches and walked five, including four in a row in the third to force in the inning's second run after back-to-back doubles by Ellis and Punto.
That made it 3-1, and the Dodgers added to their lead in the fourth after Ellis and Mattingly got tossed.
NOTES: President of baseball operations Theo Epstein said July was a winning month for the Cubs, and he wasn't talking just about their 14-13 record. They beefed up their farm system by trading away Alfonso Soriano and Matt Garza and signing draft picks and international players. "It was a good month," Epstein said. "For people who are wanting things to go well in the organization, looking for progress, they can see the progress, seize onto it. It's a time for hope and optimism. That applies to all of us. It was easier to come to work the last few days than it was a couple months ago. It's an important time to remind everyone, remind ourselves, that the progress isn't linear. There are going to be other really bad months."... Mattingly said pitcher Stephen Fife, on the disabled list with right shoulder bursitis, will "chuck" for Triple-A Albuquerque or in Chicago on Sunday. If Fife is with Albuquerque, he would presumably pitch. But Mattingly was a bit evasive when asked if Fife would throw on the side or pitch in a game on Sunday if he's in Chicago. Zack Greinke is scheduled to start that day for the Dodgers, and Mattingly said, "Right now we're in line."
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