The Dodgers arrived in the wee hours of the morning and their bats may have stayed back at the hotel to get some more sleep as they were one-hit by the Cubs and lost the series opener 2-0. The Cubs bullpen was forced into action in the third inning but they came through perfectly retiring 21 in a row. Jason Hammel had retired the last four batters he faced so the last 25 Dodgers came up and sat down.
In the first inning, Justin Turner hit a fly ball into short right center and none of the three Cub fielders came close to catching the ball so it fell in for the single. After Adrian Gonzalez walked, Joc Pederson fouled out to end the inning. That would be the extent of the Dodgers offense on Monday.
Jason Hammel was unable to continue after pitching the first two innings and he departed with an injury. But the underused Cubs bullpen - Travis Wood, who got the win, Justin Grimm, Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon, who got his ninth save - cruised to the victory.
Dodger starter Alex Wood continued his ability to strikeout hitters as he had seven in five innings pitched. But those were not an easy five innings with runners on seemingly at every moment.
In the bottom of the fifth, Ben Zobrist singled to right but then the ball got by Yasiel Puig and Zobrist made it to third on the two-base error. A Jason Heyward dribbler scored Zobrist and he made it to the first as Gonzalez had no play.
After Kris Bryant struck out, Anthony Rizzo drilled a double to right and Heyward scored the second run.
Louis Coleman and Casey Fein each retired the side in order in the sixth and seventh, respectively. J.P. Howell and Pedro Baez combined to pitch a scoreless eighth but the damage was already done.
Up next
Mike Bolsinger makes his third 2016 start for the Dodgers and his third career start at Wrigley Field. Bolsinger will try to bulid on his last start against the Reds when he went 5⅔ innings and gave up two runs, three hits, walked one and struck out six. Cubs will have Jake Arrieta on the mound. His last start against the Dodgers was his first career no-hitter. Prior to that, Arrieta had not faced the Dodgers since 2013 when he had the rare occasion to lose starts to Los Angeles as both a Oriole and a Cub.
Monday particulars
WP - Travis Wood (3-0): 4 IP, 4 strikeouts
LP - Alex Wood (1-4): 5 IP, 7 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
SV - Hector Rondon (9): 1 IP, strikeout, three up, three down