Dodgers Enjoy Role Reversal

The success of the Dodgers’ seven-game trip through Florida and Chicago is difficult to gauge.

The Dodgers were 12 1/2 games behind San Francisco in the National League West when they left and are 9 1/2 games behind today; they were 3 1/2 games behind wild-card co-leaders Florida and Philadelphia when they left and are five games behind Philadelphia today.

But the mixed results couldn’t detract from the feeling of accomplishment that the Dodgers experienced after beating the Cubs, 3-0, before a Wrigley Field crowd of 40,124 on Sunday to finish a grueling trip with a 4-3 record.

Right-hander Hideo Nomo allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Adrian Beltre, Jolbert Cabrera and Jeromy Burnitz provided clutch RBI singles, and catcher Paul Lo Duca cut down the potential tying run with a strong throw to second base in the seventh, as the Dodgers ended Chicago right-hander Carlos Zambrano’s winning streak at five games.

“This was a very tough trip,” Manager Jim Tracy said, reflecting in part on two extra-inning losses to the Marlins. “We won four of seven from two very good clubs and were a situational at-bat, a couple of singles, away from winning all seven. It’s very encouraging.”

With the wind blowing in and Zambrano entering with a 5-0 record and 1.43 earned-run average in his last five starts, the Dodgers weren’t expecting another 10-run outburst to match Saturday’s win.

But they cashed in on their only scoring chance against Zambrano in the fourth when Burnitz followed Shawn Green’s walk with a single and Beltre grounded an RBI single to left.

Burnitz was thrown out at third trying to advance when left fielder Moises Alou bobbled Beltre’s hit, and Beltre alertly took second on the play. The Cubs walked Robin Ventura to face Cabrera, who lined an RBI single to center for a 2-0 lead.

Nomo (14-9) cruised through six innings, allowing two runners to reach second, before running into trouble when Paul Bako doubled to right with one out in the seventh and pinch-hitter Troy O’Leary walked.

Speedy leadoff batter Kenny Lofton grounded into a fielder’s choice, putting runners on first and third and two outs, and with Alex Gonzalez up, Lofton took off for second.

Cabrera, the Dodger second baseman, fielded Lo Duca’s throw in front of the bag and swiped a tag toward the diving Lofton, who was called out by umpire Chris Guccione on a close play. Slow-motion replays showed that Cabrera may have missed Lofton by an inch or two.

“He didn’t tag me,” said Lofton, who erupted in anger but was not ejected. “There’s nothing you can do about it. The umpire is always right.”

Did Cabrera tag Lofton?

“Oh, yeah,” Cabrera said, as he rolled his eyes and grinned. “The ball beat him. The umpire couldn’t see me tag him.... I didn’t tag him actually, he touched my glove. My boy at second base made a great call. That was probably the play of the game right there.... “

What happened next was that the Dodgers tacked on an insurance run on Burnitz’s RBI single off left-hander Mark Guthrie in the eighth, Dodger reliever Paul Quantrill threw a scoreless eighth and closer Eric Gagne struck out two of four in the ninth for his 41st save in 41 opportunities.

Cub third baseman Aramis Ramirez ended Gagne’s streak of allowing no hits at 11 1/3 innings with a leadoff double in the ninth.

Gagne, who has a 1.45 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 62 innings, closed the game by throwing a 98-mph fastball by pinch-hitter Eric Karros, the former Dodger, for strike one, getting him to foul off a 72-mph curve for strike two, and swing through and miss a 74-mph curve for strike three.

The fastball and changeup are Gagne’s best pitches, but he is gaining command of the curve and throwing it more, which doesn’t bode well for opposing hitters.

“He has a devastating change, but with those other pitches, he’s unhittable if he’s getting them over,” Karros said. “From 98 mph to 74, that’s a pretty good differential.... You’ve just got to hit the fastball early in the count against him. A guy like that is going to give you one pitch to hit, if you’re lucky. If you don’t hit it, you’re dead.”