Dodgers vs. Cubs: Yasiel Puig out of lineup in finale

The Dodgers for a four-game sweep of the Cubs on Sunday afternoon, and will do so without outfielder Yasiel Puig in the starting lineup. Puig suffered a left thumb contusion while making a diving catch in the seventh inning on Saturday and left the stadium with a brace on his left hand.

Puig's injury likely isn't too bad, as the Dodgers optioned their fourth outfielder in Scott Van Slyke before the game. For what it is worth, manager Don Mattingly told reporters before the game he thinks Puig will be back in the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the Cardinals in St. Louis, per Dodger Talk co-host David Vassegh.

In each of the first three games of the series, Puig had two hits and a walk, including a home run and a double on Thursday. Puig has six multi-hit games in his last 11 contests, hitting .425/.540/.725 during that span (17-for-40) with eight walks, three home runs, three doubles and 12 runs scored.

The Dodgers' last sweep of four games or more at Wrigley Field came 25 years ago, when the club won all five games in Chicago directly after the All-Star break from July 14-18, 1988.

The Dodgers are 30-7 after their 30-42 start, their best 37-game mark for the franchise since the 1953 Brooklyn team that ended up with a team record 105 wins and a World Series trip.

If the team is able to complete their four-game sweep on Sunday, the Dodgers would be the first MLB team to go 31-7 since the 2006 Twins. There hasn't been a better 38-game stretch since the 114-win Yankees went 32-6 in 1998, and only three teams in the interim have even reached 31-7 over a 38-game stretch: the Athletics in 2001, 2002 and 2005.

The Dodgers' franchise-best 13-game road winning streak is the longest in baseball since the Mariners won 15 straight between 2001-2002. The National League record for consecutive road wins is 17, by the 1916 New York Giants, and the major league record is 21, by the Tigers in 1983-1984.

Cubs move

The Dodgers weren't the only team to make a roster move before Sunday's series finale. The Cubs placed infielder Luis Valbuena on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique, and recalled infielder Logan Watkins from Triple-A Iowa. Watkins starts at second base and bats seventh for the Cubs on Sunday, making his major league debut.

Game info

Time: 11:20 a.m.

TV: Prime Ticket, WGN

MLB Gameday