Dodgers 3, Cubs 2: Opportunistic offense, timely defense and Ryu secure series win

Photo: Stacie Wheeler

It wasn’t easy, but the Dodgers were able to eke out a 3-2 victory at Dodger Stadium over the Cubs on Sunday night.

The Dodgers got on the board first when Max Muncy drew a bases-loaded walk. It’s one of the least exciting way for a team to score, but it still counts.

The Cubs got two off Hyun-Jin Ryu in the sixth inning on a Justin Turner error, a couple softly hit singles and a sacrifice fly. The two runs were unearned, which helped drop Ryu’s season ERA to a minuscule 1.26.

His line on the night was as follows: 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 94 pitches, 68 strikes, 10/0 GO/AO.

In the 6th, Cody Bellinger‘s 23rd home run of the season tied the game at 2. He’s kinda good.

In the eighth inning, after Cubs’ reliever Steve Cishek threw a perfect seventh, he ran into some trouble in the eighth. Chris Taylor walked and advanced to second base on a Muncy ground out. Then, Russell Martin singled to left and Taylor scored on a (rightly) aggressive send from third base coach Dino Ebel.

Then Kenley Jansen came in again with a 1-run lead. He gave up a leadoff single to Albert Almora and followed that up by walking Jason Heyward. A fielder’s choice by Kyle Schwarber put runners at second and third. With one out, Victor Caratini hit a comebacker to Jansen, who threw Almora out at home. With two outs, Javier Baez hit a line drive to center field that Alex Verdugo was able to track down to secure the win.

The victory improves the Dodgers’ record to an NL-best 48-24. Next up is a 4-game series hosting the Giants. Kenta Maeda opposes Tyler Beede. First pitch is 7:10 p.m. Pacific time.

About Dustin Nosler

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Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosted a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He was a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times and True Blue LA. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.