Dodgers 6, Cubs 4
CHICAGO -- The Los Angeles Dodgers matched the franchise's longest road winning streak in 58 years with a 6-4 come-from-behind victory over the Chicago Cubs in the opener of a four-game series Thursday.
Pinch hitter Jerry Hairston Jr. drove in the tying and go-ahead runs in a three-run sixth inning.
The Dodgers' 11th straight road victory matched a 1955 run by the Brooklyn Dodgers. Their current streak -- dating back to July 7 in San Francisco -- is already a record as the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The club's all-time road winning streak record is 12, set by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1924.
Junior Lake and Anthony Rizzo each homered twice for Chicago. Rizzo's second was a solo shot run to left with one out in the eighth inning off left-handed reliever Paco Rodriguez that cut the Dodger lead to 5-4.
Yasiel Puig replied with a ninth inning homer with none aboard to left to restore a two-run lead.
Cubs left-handed starter Chris Rusin (1-1) departed after putting on two Dodgers on with no outs in the sixth.
The runners -- Scott Van Slyke and Mark Ellis -- advanced to second and third on a Tim Federowicz's sacrifice bunt off Michael Bowden.
Hairston singled home both for a 4-3 Dodgers edge. With two out, Puig's double moved Hairston to third.
Hairston scored on Adrian Gonzalez's base hit to center for a 5-3 advantage. But Puig was caught at the plate on a throw from center fielder David DeJesus to catcher Dioner Navarro.
Rusin gave up two earned runs on seven hits, struck out four and walked three and took the loss. Dodgers right-hander Ricky Nolasco (7-9) worked five innings and gave up three earned runs on four hits, struck out six and walked one.
Dodger reliever Kenley Jansen worked one inning for his 15th save.
Lake and Rizzo each homered in the first inning for a 2-0 Cubs lead. Lake lined Nolaso's 3-1 pitch down the third base line for his third homer. Rizzo followed with a first-pitch shot to the right field bleachers.
It was the fifth time the Cubs hit back-to-back home runs this season.
The Dodgers tied the game in the third. Hanley Ramirez's one-out double down the third base line brought home Puig and Gonzalez.
Lake's second home run of the game came in the third, a solo shot to left for a 3-2 Chicago lead.
NOTES: The Dodgers have not lost a series since dropping two of three at Pittsburgh in mid-June. ... Los Angeles' 19-6 July performance (.760) was the third best in franchise history behind April 1977 (17-3, .850) and July 1962 (20-6, .769). ... LHP Clayton Kershaw went 4-1 in July with a 1.34 ERA in six starts. His current ERA is 1.84. The last Dodger pitcher with an ERA below 2.00 for a season was Sandy Koufax (1.73) in 1966. ... Los Angeles RHP Carlos Marmol is back at Wrigley Field for the first time since arriving in a trade in early July. ... Entering Thursday, five of the Cubs' previous seven games and six of their previous nine were decided by one run. Chicago was tied for the major league lead with the Royals and Mets with 38 one-run games. The Cubs were 15-23 in those games. ... Only five current Cubs were on the 2012 Opening Day roster (3B Luis Valbuena, SS Starlin Castro, 2B Darwin Barney, LHP James Russell and RHP Jeff Samardzija). ... The Dodgers send LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (9-3, 3.14 ERA) against Cubs LHP Travis Wood (7-7, 2.79 ERA) on Friday afternoon.
