Eighth-Inning Rally Lifts Cubs Over Dodgers, 10-8

The Cubs scored five times in the eighth inning, defeating the Dodgers 10-8 in an afternoon affair at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Dodgers led the wild, back-and-forth contest 8-5 heading into the eighth inning, and relief pitcher Matt Guerrier had thrown only seven pitches in the previous inning. Guerrier, who hadn't been scored upon in his last 15 appearances, dating back to last year, was heavily scored upon in the eighth.

The Cubs got four hits and a walk off Guerrier to tie the game before he was lifted in favor of Blake Hawksworth. The first pitch thrown by Hawksworth was hit for a two-run, go-ahead double by Jeff Baker. The Cubs led 5-1 earlier in the game, but the Dodgers scored in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to take the lead. Jeff Samardzija (2-0) struck out three of the four batters he faced to pick up the victory. Starlin Castro had four hits, including a double, for the Cubs.

The Dodgers hit three home runs today, by Casey Blake, Matt Kemp, and Rod Barajas. Blake had two hits and two walks, and scored three runs. Andre Ethier extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a two-run double in the seventh inning off left-handed pitcher Sean Marshall. Ethier's streak is the longest in MLB this season.

The Cubs are the first team in MLB history to start a season 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, and 10-10. These two teams will play the rubber game of the series on Sunday, with an 11:20 a.m. PDT start. Hiroki Kuroda will face Carlos Zambrano in tomorrow's game.

For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on today's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.

Andre Ethier Extends Hitting Streak To 20 Games, Gives Dodgers 7-5 Lead

Andre Ethier of the Los Angeles Dodgers doubled in two runs in the sixth inning against Sean Marshall of the Chicago Cubs, extending his hitting streak to 20 games. It is the longest streak in baseball this season, and the longest by a Dodger since Nomar Garciaparra hit in 22 straight games in 2006. It is the 13th time a Los Angeles Dodger has had a hitting streak of 20 games or longer.

During his hitting streak, Ethier is hitting .413/.482/.600.

For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on today's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.

Dodgers Vs. Cubs: Starting Lineups, & Knee Surgery For Hector Gimenez

The Los Angeles Dodgers have won three straight and five of their last six games, and look for more of the same today facing the Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Ted Lilly, a Cubs for nearly four seasons before getting traded to L.A. last July, gets the start for the Dodgers, while Ryan Dempster takes the hill for Chicago. Today's 10:05 a.m. PDT morning start will be televised by KCAL.

Juan Uribe, who has been hot with 10 hits in his last 23 at-bats, including two home runs, is sitting today with tightness in his right thigh, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. Uribe is day-to-day. Hernandez also reported that catcher Hector Gimenez, who was placed on the disabled list with right knee inflammation on April 10, will undergo knee surgery on Tuesday.

The Cubs also made a roster move before today's game. Jeff Stevens, who threw 89 pitches in relief on Friday, was optioned to Triple A Iowa, and right-handed reliever Justin Berg was recalled. Here are today's lineups, which feature Jerry Sands batting higher than seventh for the first time:

Dodgers (11-10)

Miles 2B
Blake 3B
Ethier RF
Kemp CF
Sands LF
Loney 1B
Barajas C
Carroll SS
Lilly P

Cubs (9-10)

Castro SS
Barney 2B
Byrd CF
Ramirez 3B
Baker 1B
Soto C
Soriano LF
Johnson RF
Dempster P

For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on today's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.

Dodgers Vs. Cubs: Ted Lilly Back In Chicago As L.A. Seeks Fourth Straight Win

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in search of their fourth straight win and sixth win in their last seven games as they battle the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in the second game of a three-game weekend series. Saturday's contest marks Ted Lilly's return to Chicago, where he won 47 games in just under four seasons as a Cub. Ryan Dempster gets the start for the Cubs.

The Dodgers won the opener of the series on Friday afternoon in a rout, a 12-2 thumping during which Dodger batters saw a remarkable 230 pitches. Juan Uribe homered and drove in four runs, and Andre Ethier extended his hitting streak to 19 games. They will have their work cut out for them today, however, as Ryan Dempster has not allowed an earned run in any of his last three starts against the Dodgers.

Ted Lilly got his first win of the season in his last start, pitching seven scoreless innings against Atlanta on Monday. Dodger starting pitchers have pitched six straight quality starts, and during that span have averaged over 7.5 innings per start with a collective 1.39 ERA. Today's early 10:05 a.m. PDT start will be televised on KCAL.

For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on today's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.