Dodgers sweep three from Cubs
Kershaw, Lester allow 10 runs in first career matchup.
LOS ANGELES — Two aces with three World Series titles, three Cy Young Awards and 10 All-Star nods bet ween them struggling on the same day?
If it hadn’t happened to Jon Lester and Clayton Kershaw, Joe Maddon wouldn’t have believed it.
“It sounds like fiction to me,” the Cubs manager said.
Reality bites, particularly for Maddon’s team.
Cody Bellinger and Kike Hernandez led an offensive outburst with three-run homers that upstaged the anticipated duel between the two aces, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat Chicago 9-4 on Sunday to sweep the Cubs in three games at home for the first time since August 2012.
“I’ve not seen Clayton like that. We were on him,” Maddon said. “It was just one of those days. It’s inexplicable.”
L e s t e r a n d K e r s h a w allowed 10 runs and 18 hits in a combined 72/3 innings of their first career matchup. The left-handers failed to retire the side in order in any inning.
Lester (3-3) gave up a season-high six runs and seven hits in 31/3 innings in his shortest outing of the season for Chicago. He struck out six and walked two. The three homers he surrendered were a season high.
“Just wasted the whole day. I didn’t have command of my fastball on either side of the plate,” Lester said. “I couldn’t really go to any particular pitch to try and bail me out of any trouble.”
Kershaw allowed a season-high-tying four runs and a career-high-t ying 11 hits in 41/3 innings, his shortest outing this year. The Cubs stranded 10 runners against him.
“They battled me well,” Kershaw said. “Gave up a lot of hits, but our team was better today. Silver lining that we got the sweep. I’ll think about all that other bad stuff tomorrow.”
Josh Fields (2-0) got the victory, striking out two in 12/3 innings.
The game’s 13 runs came on seven homers.
“You hit those stretches s o meti mes when you’ re just hitting home runs, and that’s the way you’re scoring,” Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant said. “Hopefully, next time that happens we take advantage of it.”
Bellinger put the Dodgers ahead 3-1 in the second for the rookie’s team-leading 10th homer. It was Lester’s first homer allowed with runners on this season.
“The ball can fly during the day here so you try to take advantage of it,” Bellinger said.
Hernandez homered in the third, extending the lead to 6-1.
The Dodgers have won nine of 11 overall and 11 of 13 at home.
The Cubs were outscored 18-4 in the series, losing the first two games by scores of 4-0 and 5-0.