Dodgers lose an absolute crusher as bullpen gives it away, 8-7

About that bullpen start. This is a good idea?

Things were looking good for the Dodgers on Saturday afternoon. Powered by a pair of Adrian Gonzalez home runs, they led 6-1 after three innings and carried a 7-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

At which point, the earth opened up and swallowed the team whole, or at least the veterans in the bullpen.

The result was a stunning 8-7 loss to the Cubs at a wet Wrigley Field, a blow that took the air right out of the Dodgers and cut their lead in the National League West to three games, with the Giants still scheduled to play Saturday night in San Diego.

It was the Dodgers’ most crushing defeat of the season, a feel-good win turned into nervous time with only seven games left in the regular season. One inning from reducing their magic number for clinching the division to five, they were instead offering the Giants fresh hope.

The Cubs scored four times off reliever J.P. Howell in the seventh inning to pull within one run and then got a two-run homer from Chris Coghlan -- his second of the day -- off Brian Wilson in the eighth to win it.

Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly had tentatively planned a “bullpen” start for Sunday, hoping to push Dan Haren back a day to start Monday at home to open a three-game series against the Giants.

The bullpen, however, has been a highly unreliable collection all season. Even swelled with September call-ups, the bullpen doesn’t look like anything Mattingly would want to embrace for a stretch-drive start.

Mattingly had to use seven different relievers Saturday after another horrid start by Roberto Hernandez, who gave up two runs on six hits and two walks in four innings.

But it was veterans Howell and Wilson who sunk the Dodgers’ spirits.

Gonzalez had increased his NL-leading RBI total to 111 with his pair of home runs to leave the Dodgers seemingly with a comfortbable lead.

Then in the seventh inning, Howell could find neither his control nor his stuff. He gave up a run-scoring single to Anthony Rizzo and then a three-run homer to Arismendy Alcantara.

It was the first home run Howell has gave up all season.

This season the eighth inning was supposed to be the domain of Wilson, and despite proving unreliable, he continued as the reliever Mattingly called on in the eighth Saturday.

A John Baker single and two-run homer from Coghlan completed the Cubs’ comeback before Wilson got his first out.

Now Mattingly said he will start Jamey Wright on Sunday and patch together a nine-inning staff as best he can from the bullpen. If it implodes, it can’t be more painful than Saturday.