Valdes Has All the Right Stuff Against Cubs : Dodgers: He has career-high 11 strikeouts and no walks in 6-1 victory. Piazza, Wallach and Karros homer.

Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda sensed early in Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs that pitcher Ismael Valdes was in control.

“As soon as I saw him pitch in the first inning I said, ‘This guy’s got great stuff today,’ ” Lasorda said. “He was outstanding.”

Lasorda’s assessment was on the money. Valdes had a career-high 11 strikeouts with no walks as the Dodgers defeated the Cubs, 6-1, before an announced paid 41,090 at Dodger Stadium, maintaining their two-game lead over the Colorado Rockies in the National League West.

“I think I was lucky today,” Valdes said. “I didn’t know I had 11 strikeouts until the end of the game, when the interviewer told me. I was surprised. I wasn’t looking for strikeouts. It just happened. I can’t explain it.”

Valdes (10-7), who gave up seven hits in his fourth complete game of the season, almost pitched his second shutout but gave up an unearned run with two outs in the ninth inning after shortstop Jose Offerman dropped a potential game-ending double-play ball with one out.

“I’m not disappointed to lose the shutout,” Valdes said. “I wanted to get a shutout, but sometimes you get it and sometimes you don’t.”

Valdes, who has won five of his last six starts, retired the first seven hitters before giving up a one-out single to catcher Joe Kmak in the third inning.

He was never in real trouble, allowing only two runners to reach second base in the first eight innings. He let the leadoff hitter reach first base only three times as the Dodgers concluded a nine-game home stand with a 7-2 mark. They have won 12 of their last 15 home games.

“He was outstanding today,” catcher Mike Piazza said of Valdes, who is 2-0 with an 0.35 earned-run average in three starts against the Cubs this season. “He had tremendous command of his pitches. He scattered a few hits, but when he had to buckle down, he did just that.”

Chicago starter Jim Bullinger (10-3), who had given up only five home runs in 100 innings in his first 15 starts this season, gave up three in the first 5 1/3 innings.

Piazza and third baseman Tim Wallach each hit two-run homers and first baseman Eric Karros, who leads the team with 24, hit a solo blast with one out in the sixth inning.

“I’ve been fortunate, for I don’t think I’ve ever given up three [homers] in one game,” said Bullinger, who gave up six runs on seven hits in seven innings. “I threw at least two bad pitches. Those guys are all swinging the bat pretty well.”

Piazza extended his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games in the first inning when he put Bullinger’s first pitch into the left-field bleachers, driving in Offerman, who had singled.

Although Piazza has batted .424 during his streak, his power has diminished because of a sore left thumb. He had gone 15 games, most in his career, and 55 at-bats without a home run.

“It’s been a little sore,” Piazza said. “But I’ve been able to tolerate it and just go out and put the bat on the ball and help the team as best I can. I’m not going to go up there selfish and try to hit a home run every time up.”

Wallach drilled a 3-1 breaking ball into the left-field bleachers with two outs in the fourth inning, driving in Raul Mondesi, who had reached first on an error by third baseman Todd Zeile. That gave the Dodgers a 4-0 lead.

Karros hit a one-out homer in the sixth inning over the outstretched glove of right fielder Sammy Sosa.

Karros, who went two for four with the homer, a double off the right-field wall and a run batted in, extended his hitting streak to 10 games. He’s batting .417 with five homers, two doubles, seven runs scored and 14 RBIs in the streak.

“Everything just seems to be happening in slow motion,” he said. “I’m seeing the ball well and it seems like I’ve got a lot of time to react. That’s the kind of groove I’ve been in this last week.”