Dodgers take out the Cubs
Al Balderas, The Orange County Register (MCT)
Published On: 10/ 6/2008
LOS ANGELES _ A well-rested Hiroki Kuroda was exactly what the Dodgers needed.
Kuroda shut out the Chicago Cubs for 61/3 innings to lead the Dodgers to a 3-1 victory in front of 56,000 screaming fans at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night.
The Dodgers completed their three-game sweep with the victory and advanced to their first National League Championship Series since 1988, the year they last won the World Series.
“We’re going to party at my house,” Manny Ramirez shouted to the fans after the Dodgers started their champagne celebration. “We’re going to party like a rock star. If you can find my house.”
The Dodgers’ next opponent will be the Philadelphia Phillies or the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers beat the Phillies on Saturday and trail, 2-1, in the series.
The Cubs entered the postseason as the best team in the National League after compiling a record of 97-64 but suffered their ninth consecutive playoff loss dating back to 2003.
The Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908 and haven’t played in the World Series since 1945.
“To win this game was huge,” Torre said. “Tonight was a game that maybe we learned a little bit more about ourselves. Right now, Philly has a 2-1 lead and we have no idea where we’re going. There is no easy way out of this thing but we’re thankful we can sit back.”
Torre planned to keep a short leash on Kuroda. Instead, the veteran pitcher from Japan choked off any attempts by the Cubs to keep their season alive.
“We’ve had good results and he’s had good results with extra rest,” Torre said of Kuroda before Saturday’s game. “When he gets a couple of things to go wrong, he has a tendency to probably overthink it and overthrow it sometimes.”
That wasn’t a problem Saturday.
Kuroda last pitched on Sept. 28 in San Francisco. He went just 51/3 innings, threw 74 pitches and was well rested going into his first career playoff start.
Though the Cubs did get two runners on base in the first inning, on a Derrek Lee double and a walk to Aramis Ramirez, Kuroda retired the side by getting Geovany Soto to ground out to third base.
Kuroda, who threw a shutout and was 1-1 against the Cubs during the regular season, lowered his ERA to 0.42 in his three starts against them.
Rookie Cory Wade, who began the season at Double-A Jacksonville, relieved Kuroda in the seventh and got Alfonso Soriano on a fly ball to right field and Fontenot on a fly to deep center.
The Dodgers weren’t as explosive offensively as in the first two games, when they scored 17 runs, but their hits were timely.
The Dodgers got to Harden in the first inning when Russell Martin hit a one-out double and took third on a single by Ramirez.
James Loney gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead with a two-out double into the rightfield corner.
“They’re playing well,” veteran Jeff Kent said of the Dodgers’ young players. “They had a good learning experience last year and these kids are talented. They’re playing without thinking right now, which is a great way to play.”
Loney was instrumental in the first game of the series when he hit a grand slam off of Cubs starter Ryan Dempster on Wednesday.
“Loney was able to take advantage of some bad pitches,” Kent said. “Tonight he looked a lot more confident in his abilities than he did in Chicago.
“James is a mistake hitter. If you throw him a mistake, he’ll hit it.”
The Dodgers added a run in the fifth inning when Furcal walked and raced home on Martin’s double into the left-field corner. Any chance of a play at home was taken away when the ball stopped at the bottom edge of the wall instead of bouncing out to a waiting Soriano.
