Wood steps up as Cubs blank Dodgers
CHICAGO -- Travis Wood rode to the rescue with four innings of hitless relief while Jason Heyward delivered a go-ahead RBI single as the Chicago Cubs ran their winning streak to six games with Monday's 2-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Heyward was 1-for-4 with an infield hit that scored Ben Zobrist in the fifth to break a scoreless tie.
Wood got an emergency call in the third inning after starter Jason Hammel experienced cramping in his right hamstring as he warmed up.
Wood (3-0) picked up the victory after four hitless and scoreless innings as five Cubs pitchers collectively held the Dodgers to just one hit.
Cubs closer Hector Rondon worked a one-two-three ninth with a pair of strikeouts for his ninth save of the season.
Dodgers starter Alex Wood (1-4) suffered the loss after working five innings and allowing two runs.
Chicago improved to a Major League-best 35-14 and moved a season-high 21 games over .500. Los Angeles (27-25) saw a two-game winning streak snapped.
The Cubs loaded the bases with one out in the second but came up empty as Hammel struck out looking and Zobrist struck out swinging on a 2-2 pitch.
Hammel came back out to pitch but found it difficult to continue after several warmup tosses from the mound while Cubs manager Joe Maddon watched closely.
Travis Wood, a former Cubs starter and now middle reliever, entered and struck out two of three batters in a one-two-three third en route to his four-inning outing.
The Cubs broke the shutout with two fifth inning runs. Zobrist opened with a single to right and quickly sprinted to third after a Yasiel Puig bobble sent the ball to the wall. Zobrist came home Heyward's infield single.
After Kris Bryant struck out, Heyward scored on Anthony Rizzo's double to right with one out for a 2-0 lead.
The Dodgers' Wood was pulled for a pinch hitter in the sixth. He allowed seven hits, walked three and struck out seven while giving up two earned runs.
The Cubs' Wood worked through the sixth before he also was pulled for a pinch hitter. He allowed no hits or walks while striking out four.
NOTES: The Dodgers have beaten the Cubs in four straight season series since 2012. Los Angeles and Chicago split last year's four-game Wrigley Field leg last year. ... LHP Clayton Kershaw's 10 strikeouts on Sunday made him the first big league pitcher to hit 100 strikeouts in a season while walking just five. ... LHP Alex Wood, Monday's Dodgers starter, was supposed to pitch last week but had his start pushed back three days due to triceps soreness. ... Cubs 2B Ben Zobrist, one of the Cubs hottest bats this month, led off on Monday in place of Dexter Fowler, who was given the day off. ... Fowler is second in the big leagues with a .433 on-base percentage. He has hit safely in 29 of his last 35 games and is fourth in the NL with 15 doubles. ... RHP Jake Arrieta (9-0, 1.72 ERA) faces Dodgers LHP Scott Kazmir (4-3, 4.84 ERA) in Tuesday's second game. Arrieta leads the majors with a .168 opponents' batting average and is second with is 1.72 ERA. The Cubs have won his last 23 starts, including his no-hitter against the Dodgers on Aug. 20, 2015.