Hanley Ramirez Hits Walk-Off HR In 12th To Lift Dodgers Past Cubs, 5-2
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Hanley Ramirez hit a three-run homer in the 12th inning to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday night.
Dee Gordon hit a two-out single against Blake Parker (1-1), stole his major league-leading 51st base and came home when Ramirez drove a 1-0 pitch into the Dodgers' bullpen in left field for his 12th homer after a full-count walk to Justin Turner.
Jamey Wright (4-2) allowed two hits over two innings to get the victory and help the Dodgers increase their NL West lead over San Francisco to 3 1-2 games.
Junior Lake pushed a bunt single past the right of the mound with one out in the Cubs' seventh and came all the way around on a double to right-center by Arismendy Alcantara, tying the score 2-all. It was the third hit of the game for the switch-hitting rookie. Teammate Starlin Castro also had three hits, including an RBI single in the first.
Matt Kemp gave the NL West-leading Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the fourth against left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada with a drive into the pavilion seats in left-center after a leadoff walk to Ramirez.
It was the 12th homer this season and fourth in five games for the two-time All-Star, who has four homers and 12 RBIs in 11 games since manager Don Mattingly shifted him from left field to right and Yasiel Puig from right to center.
Hyun-Jin Ryu allowed two runs and nine hits through seven innings and struck out six. The left-hander, working on five days' rest, was lifted for a pinch-hitter after 108 pitches.
That pinch-hitter was Yasiel Puig, who didn't start because of a sore left hamstring. He singled leading off the seventh, but was picked off by right-hander Brian Schlitter. The original ruling by umpire David Rackley was `safe,' but a replay challenge by Cubs manager Rick Renteria got the decision overturned.
Wada allowed two runs and six hits over 5 2-3 innings and struck out six in his fourth major league start. The Dodgers are 12-5 in games started by opponents' rookies, including Friday's 8-2 loss to Kyle Hendricks.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cubs: Right-hander Kyuji Fujikawa, who has yet to pitch for Chicago this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, is scheduled to throw an inning for Triple-A Iowa on Monday. The club has yet to decide whether he will be reinstated from the 60-day disabled list on Tuesday.
Dodgers: Lefty Paul Maholm's first season with the Dodgers ended Saturday when he was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The 10-year veteran was injured during the seventh inning of Friday's game while covering first base on a grounder behind the bag by Alcantata.
ON DECK
Cubs: Right-hander Edwin Jackson (5-11, 5.79 ERA) is 0-4 with a 7.39 ERA in seven starts since beating Pittsburgh June 20 at Wrigley Field.
Dodgers: Right-hander Josh Beckett (6-5, 2.74 ERA) looks for his first victory at Dodger Stadium since May 13, when he beat Miami 7-1 for his first win of 2014. He is 3-4 with a 3.05 ERA in in 10 starts since his no-hitter on May 25 at Philadelphia, and hasn't pitched more than five innings in any of his last four outings.
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