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GAME LOG
CHICAGO (AP) -- With plenty of time to kill during a
doubleheader, the talk in the Los Angeles bullpen turned to who in
the Dodgers lineup they are glad they don't have to face.
The answer? Adrian Beltre, no question.
|  | | Adrian Beltre (29) is greeted by teammates Charlie Reliford (18) and Devon White (22) at home plate after his three-run homer in the eighth inning against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Friday. |
Beltre drove in his fifth run of the day and Devon White hit an
RBI triple Friday night as the Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1
for a doubleheader sweep. In the first game, Beltre hit a three-run
homer in the eighth and drove in another run to spark a 5-3 Los
Angeles victory.
"Sometimes you forget how young he is," said closer Jeff Shaw,
who pitched the ninth in both games, giving him 20 saves in 27
tries. "He's going to make mistakes, but he is a very mature
21-year-old. He knows how to handle himself."
Beltre went 4-for-4 in the first game with two singles, a double
and a homer. He was 1-for-3 in the second, upping his batting
average from .284 at the start of the day to .291.
The Dodgers have now won eight straight at Wrigley, dating back
to May 21, 1998.
The Cubs, meanwhile, are 5-16 after starting the second half
17-5. They didn't give themselves much of a chance Friday,
stranding 12 runners in the first game and seven more in the
second.
"We just haven't been able to sustain any momentum on the
offensive end," Cubs manager Don Baylor said. "It is
frustrating."
At least there weren't any fights. This was the Dodgers' first
trip back to Wrigley since a May 16 brawl with fans that resulted
in the suspensions of 16 players and three coaches. Three fans were
charged with disorderly conduct.
The Cubs fans were well-behaved this time -- most in the crowd of
38,854 didn't even stick around for the second game -- and the
Dodgers stayed on the field.
"It's over, it's done," Dodgers manager Davey Johnson said
before the game. "It's a great place to play, great fans. Let's
play baseball."
That's just what they did, with Beltre leading the way. In the
first game, Cubs starter Jon Lieber (11-7) got out of a two-out,
bases-loaded jam in the seventh when Alex Cora hit a liner straight
to former Dodger Eric Young.
But he wasn't so lucky in the eighth. With one out and the score
tied 2-2, he gave up a single to Jim Leyritz and walked Todd
Hundley. He was relieved by Todd Van Poppel, who gave up the
three-run homer to Beltre, the second batter he faced.
Beltre also had an RBI single in the fourth. Dodgers starter
Darren Dreifort, who was 2-for-2, drove in the other Dodger run.
"I knew I hit the homer pretty good," Beltre said. "I'm
trying a couple of things at the plate and I'm feeling better up
there."
Lieber, who has now lost two starts after winning six straight
decisions, gave up four runs and 10 hits in 7 1-3 innings, walking
two and striking out five. Mark Grace and Sammy Sosa drove in runs
for the Cubs.
Antonio Osuna (3-5) gave up just two hits in two innings after
relieving Dreifort in the sixth. He also struck out two.
In the second game, Dodgers starter Carlos Perez (5-6) took a
shutout into the seventh inning before giving up a solo homer to
pinch-hitter Gary Matthews Jr. It was Matthews' second homer of the
year, and both have come as a pinch-hitter.
It was Perez's first start after four games in the bullpen, and
his first victory since May 3. He gave up nine hits in 6 1-3
innings. He struck out two and walked one.
"Sometimes I pitch a good game and I leave winning and the
relievers give up a couple runs," Perez said. "And sometimes I've
pitched bad. Then they sent me to the bullpen. It's nice to be back
in the rotation."
Beltre gave Perez a little cushion with his RBI double off
reliever Steve Rain in the eighth. The Dodgers got their other two
runs in the fifth on White's triple and an RBI single by Shawn
Green, both off Daniel Garibay (2-6).
Garibay gave up two runs and four hits in seven innings.
"It's nice to win a couple," Johnson said. "We don't play
many doubleheaders, thank goodness."
Game notes
Shaw gave up a two-out RBI single to Willie Greene in the
opener, stopping his scoreless streak at 16 innings. ... Dodgers CF
Devon White pulled a quad and will be out for at least a week,
Johnson said. ... After extending his hitting streak to 10 games in
the first game, Dodgers 1B Eric Karros went 0-for-4 in the second.
... Matthews turned 26 Friday. ... With two stolen bases in the
first game, Young has been successful in 17 straight steal
attempts. ... Former Bears coach Mike Ditka was the guest conductor
for the seventh-inning stretch.
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Baseball Scoreboard
Los Angeles Clubhouse
Chicago Cubs Clubhouse
RECAPS
Baltimore 4
Tampa Bay 3
Kansas City 6
Boston 2
Minnesota 8
Detroit 3
Texas 1
Toronto 0
Oakland 8
NY Yankees 1
Anaheim 4
Cleveland 1
Chi. White Sox 4
Seattle 1
Los Angeles 5
Chicago Cubs 3
Los Angeles 3
Chicago Cubs 1
(2nd game)
Cincinnati 6
Florida 0
Houston 3
Montreal 1
Colorado 6
Pittsburgh 3
NY Mets 13
Arizona 3
San Francisco 16
Philadelphia 3
Atlanta 7
St. Louis 4
San Diego 4
Milwaukee 0
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