DODGERS FINALLY BREAK THROUGH BASEBALL: L.A. GETS TO ZAMBRANO IN SEVENTH INNING FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WIN. DODGERS 7, CHI. CUBS 3.

Byline: Doug Padilla 

Staff Writer

When the door cracked open ever so slightly, and then wider and wider Saturday, the Dodgers were finally in position to use some leverage and shove the thing open.

A young team that rarely has taken advantage of its opportunities of late, the Dodgers sent Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano storming off in a rage with a five-run seventh inning that highlighted a 7-3victory.

Starved for victories over the past two- plus weeks, the Dodgers have now defeated the team with the best record in baseball on consecutive days.

"It was a good game all the way around and hopefully we can build on this," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "If beating this club two in a row doesn't do something for our confidence, I don't know what does."

Derek Lowe (4-5) gave the Dodgers seven solid innings before Jonathan Broxton finished off the eighth inning. Takashi Saito struck out the side in order in the ninth in a non-save situation.

Zambrano had given the Cubs a 3-2 lead in the top of the seventh with an RBI single, but was about to watch it all fall apart in the bottom of the inning.

After a one-out single, Juan Pierre stole second base, but he was safe only because Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot dropped the throw from catcher Geovany Soto.

Andre Ethier's hard shot down the third-base line was stopped by the Cubs' Aramis Ramirez, but Ethier was safe only because Ramirez threw wide to first base. Pierre scored on the play while Ethier went to second.

After Jeff Kent popped up for the second out, Russell Martin hit an RBI single to right field. But Martin was safe only because Cubs right fielder Kosuke Fukudome had the ball glance off his glove while trying to make a diving catch.

When Loney followed Martin's hit with a single, it brought Matt Kemp to the plate. Kemp took one pitch out of the strike zone before crushing the next one over the center-field wall for a three-run home run.

His fifth homer of the season ended the afternoon for Zambrano (8-2), who had allowed more than three earned runs in a start just twice previously.

"Everybody in that inning helped out with the win," Kemp said. "I don't know what, but something happened there in that inning and it was big. We haven't done that here lately, and hopefully what we did in that seventh inning we can do for a whole game (today)."

When he got to the bench, Zambrano pitched the kind of fit he has been prone to show over his career.

He took his frustration out on two Gatorade buckets to the delight of the fans on the third-base side who could see into the Cubs' first-base dugout.

Zambrano should be used to disappointing days against the Dodgers by now. The right-hander gave up seven runs for the first time since he gave up eight in a start to the Dodgers last September.

"He's a tremendous pitcher and one of the best in our league, so that's a feather in our cap if his last two toughest games have been against us," Lowe said.

"In no way did any of us coming into the game expect it to be that high scoring."

Figuring his margin of error was small, it didn't seem to be a good sign for Lowe when the Cubs took a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning after an Alfonso Soriano home run.

But Martin made it 2-2 in the Dodgers' half of the sixth with a two-run home run to center, his fifth.

While Lowe pitched well, he wasn't in line for the victory until the offense erupted.

The right-hander, who has not given up more than three earned runs in any of his past four starts, gave up three runs on six hits hits in seven innings with two walks and four strikeouts.

"I think his pitches are going down now, where before they were sort of going sideways," Torre said.

Lowe has won consecutive starts for the first time this season and has posted a 1.86ERA over his past four starts.

"Having played this game as long as I have, you realize you're going to go through good and bad times," Lowe said. "You don't panic. If you don't panic and trust yourself you're going to find ways to get out of it. That's where we are. You still have a long way to go and you have to continue to work hard and try to be consistent."

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DODGERS

TODAY vs. Chi. Cubs, 5 p.m., Dodger Stadium.

TV: ESPN.

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2 photos

Photo:

(1) Dodgers catcher Russell Martin hits a two-run home run in the sixth inning to tie the score 2-2.

(2) Right fielder Matt Kemp can't catch Derrek Lee's pop fly in the sixth inning. But Kemp hit a three-run homer in the seventh.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer