Bats go silent in split with Cubs

After pounding out 2 home runs en route to a 7-3 victory yesterday, the Dodgers could only gather 4 hits and 1 run in a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The good news is that with as poorly as the Dodgers have been playing lately, they did split this series with the Cubs at 2 apiece.

I'm having trouble trying to figure out if Brad Penny's start was good or not. On one hand, giving up 3 runs in 6 innings is good for him, but on the other, he still came up short. Mark DeRosa tagged him for a solo shot in the 1st off a pitch that floated right over the middle of the plate. The other 2 were scored in the 5th, and all because he allowed a leadoff double to Alfonso Soriano. DeRosa again hit an RBI, and Aramis Ramirez doubled down the left field line for another.

Other than that, Penny's start I guess was pretty good. He did have 5 K's, which is a good sign. Only 3 walks in 6 innings, I think I'll take that. With the exception of the 5th, it's not like he was hit around. I talked the other day abound how the rest of the starters have picked it up lately, and he needed to as well. In his last 2 starts, he's given up 5 runs in 12 innings, but for 2 losses. He's doing his part, but only 1 run of support total has made him look that much worse. Hopefully he's figuring things out.

There's really not a whole lot else to talk about because it was your basic, paint by the numbers Dodger baseball game: good pitching from both teams, but just a little more hitting from the other end. Juan Pierre lead off the game with a single and scored, and ended up 2-4 with a stolen base. That's about it for offensive stars. It was that boring.

The Dodgers get on off day Monday, which they haven't had in like 10 years. They then go to San Diego, who have been awful this year, right up until last series when they swept the Mets in 4. The Padres have now won 5 straight at home, so all of a sudden, this is a big series. The Dodgers were absolutely horrendous on their last road trip (1-6 in Chicago and New York), so they've got to step up and play better these next 9 games (Detroit and Cincinnati next). Clayton Kershaw will aim for his 1st Big League win on Tuesday against future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. That'll be a fun game to watch.