Jake Lamb hit a home run and Freddie Freeman added a two-run single as the Los Angeles Dodgers moved one victory away from a four-game sweep of the visiting Chicago Cubs by rallying for a 4-2 victory Saturday.
Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw (6-2), looking to make one last push for a spot on the National League All-Star team, gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits over 7 2/3 innings with no walks and 10 strikeouts. It was his second double-digit strikeout game of the season.
The Dodgers won for the 10th time in their last 11 games and improved to 9-1 on a season-long 11-game homestand.
Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman and catcher Willson Contreras both returned from injuries. Stroman (shoulder) gave up just two hits in four scoreless innings, while Contreras (hamstring) made his first start since Monday, going 0-for-4 as the designated hitter.
The Cubs dropped their third consecutive game after entering the series winners in six of their previous eight.
Kershaw struck out seven Cubs batters over the first four innings, but it was Chicago that still got on the scoreboard first.
Seiya Suzuki singled and Nico Hoerner doubled to lead off the fifth inning, but the Cubs scored just once in the frame on a sacrifice fly from Yan Gomes for a 1-0 lead.
The Dodgers got even at 1-1 on a Will Smith RBI single in the sixth inning.
The Cubs inched ahead again 2-1 in the seventh on Hoerner’s ground ball to shortstop that was thrown off target to home by the Dodgers’ Trea Turner for an error, allowing Patrick Wisdom to score.
Los Angeles surged ahead in the seventh.
Lamb led off with a game-tying home run, his second in two games. The Dodgers then loaded the bases on singles from Gavin Lux, Cody Bellinger and Mookie Betts before Freeman dunked a two-out single to right against Rowan Wick (1-5) to score a pair of runs for a 4-2 advantage.
The Dodgers’ Evan Phillips recorded an out in replace of Kershaw in the eighth and former Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth inning for his 15th save in 18 chances.
–Field Level Media