Cubs 7, Dodgers 3
Chris Coghlan and Luis Valbuena each homered and Edwin Jackson tossed six strong innings as visiting Chicago captured the rubber match of a three-game series.
Jackson (6-11) recorded his first win since June 20 while yielding two runs with no walks and three relievers held the Dodgers to one run on two hits over the final three frames. Jackson added two hits and scored a run for Chicago, which posted its first series win at Dodger Stadium since May 2-4, 2011.
Matt Kemp went 2-for-4 and homered for the fifth time in the last six games as the Dodgers’ lead over second-place San Francisco in the National League West was cut to 2 1/2 games. Yasiel Puig, Justin Turner and Drew Butera added two hits apiece for Los Angeles, which trailed 3-2 following Kemp’s solo blast with two outs in the sixth.
Brandon League walked the first three batters in the eighth and the Cubs took a 6-2 lead on John Baker’s groundout and Starlin Castro’s pinch-hit two-run single. The Dodgers chipped away with a run in the eighth before Valbuena added an insurance run by leading off the ninth with his 10th home run off Chris Perez.
The Cubs got on the board in the first as Coghlan opened the game with a double off Josh Beckett (6-6), moved to third on a passed ball and scored on Anthony Rizzo’s one-out double. Coghlan extended the lead to 3-1 in the fifth with a two-run shot off Beckett, who allowed three runs over four-plus frames and failed to complete five innings for his third consecutive start.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Puig (hamstring) and 1B Adrian Gonzalez (knee) each returned to the Dodgers' starting lineup after being held out for precautionary reasons on Saturday. … Castro came off the bench for the first time this season and finished the series with seven hits in 12 at-bats. … Los Angeles C A.J. Ellis missed his second straight game with right knee soreness, but he’s expected to return Monday when the team begins a two-game set against the Los Angeles Angels.