Kuroda adds Cubs to growing fan club

On the scoreboard and on the roster, Friday night brought relief for the Dodgers.

With Hiroki Kuroda striking out 11 batters on his way to throwing the team’s first shutout of the season, the Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-0, at Dodger Stadium and picked up their fourth win in their last 15 games on a day they added a utility infielder at essentially no cost.

By sending infielder Juan Rivera of class-A Great Lakes to the Kansas City Royals, the Dodgers were able to acquire 2003 AL rookie of the year Angel Berroa, who probably will be their everyday shortstop until leading hitter Rafael Furcal returns from a back strain that has sidelined him for more than a month.

The Royals agreed to pay the remainder of Berroa’s contract, which includes a $4.75-million salary for this season and a $500,000 buyout on a club option for 2009 worth $5.5 million.

Berroa, 30, is expected to be at Dodger Stadium in time for the game today.

The reason behind the Royals’ generosity was Berroa’s decline in recent years, which resulted in the shortstop’s spending most of the last two seasons at triple-A Omaha. But with Chin-lung Hu and Luis Maza failing to produce at the plate, General Manager Ned Colletti was willing to take a chance with a player who hit .287 with 17 home runs, 21 steals and 73 runs batted in as a rookie – especially at the bargain price. Colletti said Berroa was recommended to him by bench coach Bob Schaefer, who held the same position with the Royals.

“You need the player and hopefully the player needs the second chance,” said Colletti.

When Furcal is back in the lineup – something Manager Joe Torre said could happen as soon as June 17 in Cincinnati – Berroa could back up Furcal and second baseman Jeff Kent. Hu, 24, has struggled in that role and Torre has said he wished he could be playing every day at triple-A Las Vegas, meaning the addition of Berroa to the active roster today could result in the demotion of Hu.

Hu was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts on Friday, dropping his average to .165, but his inability to get a hit on this night wasn’t a factor, as Kuroda was cruising.

The only serious trouble Kuroda encountered was in the fourth inning, when his throwing error put men on the corners with no outs. But Kuroda struck out Aramis Ramirez and forced Kosuke Fukudome to ground into a double play to end the threat.

Kuroda (3-5) gave up only four hits, didn’t walk a single batter and lowered his earned-run average to 3.49.

He was handed an early 1-0 lead, as Kent doubled to center in the first to drive in Delwyn Young from first.

An infield hit by Blake DeWitt loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth and James Loney scored on a groundout by catcher Danny Ardoin to double the advantage.

A bunt single by Ardoin in the sixth scored Loney to put the Dodgers ahead, 3-0.

Marring the victory was the fifth-inning ejection of Kent, who was tossed from the game by home plate umpire Marty Foster for arguing a strike three call.

 dylan.hernandez@latimes.com