DODGERS QUICKLY CLUB CUBS ROBERTS' LEADOFF INSIDE-PARK HOMER SETS STAGE DODGERS 6, CHICAGO 1.Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer Eric Gagne put the matter to rest long before the ninth inning rolled around Saturday. If the Dodgers needed a fifth consecutive save on a fifth consecutive night from their star closer, Gagne said he would be at their service in the left-field bullpen. As it turned out, Gagne never even had to leave his seat. Baseball's hottest team took care of everything without him. The Dodgers made it look effortless in stretching their major-league-leading winning streak Noun 1. winning streak - a streak of wins streak, run - an unbroken series of events; "had a streak of bad luck"; "Nicklaus had a run of birdies" to six games. Dave Roberts For other uses, see Dave Roberts (disambiguation). David Ray Roberts (born May 31, 1972 in Okinawa, Japan), is a Major League Baseball center fielder for the San Francisco Giants. delivered an inside-the-park home run In baseball parlance, an inside-the-park home run or "leg home run" is a play where a hitter scores a home run without hitting the ball out of play. Discussion To score an inside-the-park home run the player must run, round, and touch all four bases before a fielder tags to lead off the evening and the Dodgers rolled from there to a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. This was ``Game Over'' almost before the sun set on the sellout crowd of 54,181. Robin Ventura With Philadelphia and Florida each winning, the Dodgers (60-55) remain 3 1/2 games out in the wild-card chase. They will look to complete the three-game sweep this afternoon when Kevin Brown The name Kevin Brown can refer to several different people, including the following:
Additionally, the Dodgers have won all five games since hitting coach Jack Clark Jack Clark may refer to:
Making his first start since July 13, Alvarez (2-1) gave the Dodgers more than they could have hoped. He picked off Doug Glanville The 33-year-old left-hander faced a Cubs lineup loaded with nine right- handed hitters. But Alvarez had few problems finding his way. He had superb command of all his pitches, retiring 12 consecutive hitters before exiting, and he speared a liner back to the mound in the seventh. Should the Dodgers need another spot start down the stretch, Alvarez proved himself more than capable. He filled in Saturday for the injured Kazuhisa Ishii, who is expected to return to the rotation Thursday. Alvarez left after seven innings having given up just four hits, striking out six and not issuing a walk. It represented another step on the recovery trail for Alvarez, who missed nearly the entire 2000 and 2001 seasons recovering from shoulder surgery. On the flip side Flip side In the context of general equities, opposite side to a proposition or position (buy, if sell is the proposition and vice versa). , Alvarez's counterpart, Cubs starter Matt Clement (9-10) struggled with his control. Clement walked four and gave up six hits in his bid to become the Cubs' third 10-game winner. He threw only 57 of 90 pitches for strikes. The winning streak, meanwhile, is the Dodgers' longest since they took eight in a row in the middle of June. And they needed only one batter Saturday to take a 1-0 lead. Roberts smoked a line drive along the left-field line for what appeared to be a routine double. But Moises Alou misplayed the carom off the wall and the ball rolled along the rubberized warning track while Roberts circled the bases. Roberts, who has nursed a strained hamstring all season, scored standing up for his first career inside-the-park home run. It was the Dodgers' second inside-the-park home run in a week, coming six days after Ventura accomplished the feat last Sunday against Atlanta. In a matter of moments, the Dodgers quickly stretched their lead to 4-0, providing a sizable cushion for Alvarez. Adrian Beltre's sacrifice fly scored Shawn Green and Ventura crushed a two-run homer to right. The Dodgers then added runs in the third and sixth. Former Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros, making his return to Los Angeles this weekend, was 0 for 3 with two strikeouts. Karros is hitless in the series. Cubs catcher Damian Miller broke up the shutout with a two-out solo home run off Paul Shuey in the eighth. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: (color) Dave Roberts is congratulated by Shawn Green after his inside- the-park homer put the Dodgers up in the first inning. Chris Carlson/Associated Press Box: DODGERS vs. CHICAGO CUBS - Ross Siler |
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