The Dodgers are an October surprise

CHICAGO -- October arrived Wednesday on the back of a chilly lake wind and a nasty neighborhood roar.

The Dodgers shrugged.

October arrived with the doom of a two-run deficit in four miserable innings.

The Dodgers grinned.

October arrived high, hard, and screaming down at them with the bad luck that has plagued their postseasons for the last 20 years.

The Dodgers turned on it.

Finally, they turned on it.

James Loney hit it 400 feet into a Wrigley Field mob gone silent.

Derek Lowe sent it spinning toward Chicago Cubs bats gone still.

Manny Ramirez schemed around it, slugged over it, and even outran it.

Before Wednesday, the last time the Dodgers won the first game of a postseason series was the 1988 World Series.

This was no Kirk Gibson home run, but that team finally has some company.

"This is a new season, a new time, a new team," said Andre Ethier.

During a diminuendo of a Wrigleyville evening -- very loud, then very soft -- it was all those things, the Dodgers defeating the favored Chicago Cubs, 7-2, to take the first game of the National League division series.

This was still only the Dodgers' second postseason win in 20 years, but it felt like a beginning.

"We know we can play with the Cubs," said reliever Cory Wade amid the laughter of a clubhouse that reeked of relief. "We know we can play with anybody."

The cliché is that this is only one game. But the reality is that this is only a five-game series.

The cliché is that postseason momentum is the next day's starting pitcher. But the reality is that today, the Cubs are pitching recently erratic Carlos Zambrano against steady Dodger Chad Billingsley.

The Dodgers win today -- and they can certainly win today -- this series is done.

"Let's hope we get better," Cubs Manager Lou Piniella said.