Los Angeles Dodgers defeat Chicago Cubs 7-3 – MLB Update
Andre Ethier became the third player in baseball history to have hits in 21 consecutive games as his Los Angeles Dodgers beat Chicago Cubs 7-3 on Sunday, April 24.
Enlisting himself with the likes of Joe Torre and Danny Bautista who had earlier had hits in 21 straight games, Ethier was jubilant. "It's about going up there and executing and being confident," Ethier said. "It's nice knowing I don't have to do too much
with guys in front of me and behind me doing their jobs and picking me up. It makes my job a lot easier."
For Los Angeles it was their fourth win in the last five matches they have played. Ethier may also jeopardise the impressive track record the Cubs have maintained as not losing more than two games in succession like New York Yankees. Chicago did not actually
have a promising start when Carlos Zambrano did not appear perfectly fit for pitching on Sunday. When Zambrano came out to pitch, little did he realise that the Dodgers would prey on his fastballs.
Zambrano gave out four hits and five runs in the very first inning, causing immense pressure on the Cubs from the start. Ethier, Matt Kemp, Jerry Sands, and Rod Barajas took on Zambrano and scored five valuable runs for the Dodgers. "I knew sooner or later
I was going to lose a game, unfortunately it was today," Zambrano said. "I enjoyed the winning streak a lot, but it's over with. Let's get another win on my next time and I'll be ready for that."
In the very first inning, the Cubs were too aggressive, as Starlin Castro charged Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers and Kosuke Fukudome scored. Carlos Pena was next, as he singled to centre where Darwin Barney scored, bringing the lead down to 6-2.
Zambrano was subject to another hit in the third inning when James Loney singled to left, allowing Kemp to score the sixth run for the Dodgers. The lead was apparently to a comfortable 7-2 score. Kuroda who fumbled in the second inning did not falter again
and made sure to remain unplayable. His strategy did not work out successfully as he received three hits in the seventh inning and he gave up a run. The lead had come down to 7-3 when Blake Hawksworth replaced him in the eighth inning.
Jonathan Broxton came in the 9th inning who succeeded in securing a shut-out inning for Los Angeles, obtaining an easy 7-3 victory for the Dodgers.
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