James Loney gave the Dodgers a go-ahead grand slam in the fifth as Derek Lowe held the Cubs to two runs through six.
Ryan Dempster shut out the Dodgers through four until he loaded the bases, with walks to Furcal, Manny, and Ethier. Loney then sank into an 0-2 count before drilling the ball to left-center for the go-ahead runs and the first Dodger postseason grand slam since Dusty Baker’s in 1977. Manny and Martin then drilled solo shots in the seventh and ninth innings to make it 7-2.
Lowe gave up a two-run homerun in the second, but otherwise shut the Cubs out before being lifted after six, tallying six strikeouts. Wade, Broxton, and Maddux then each pitched an inning, which likely means that Maddux will not be in the starting rotation for this series.
In the NL, Game 1 NLDS winners have a 23-3 series record. Chad Billingsley has a chance to put the Dodgers up by two games, making the start tonight and facing Carlos Zambrano. Billingsley led the staff with 16 wins this year, but will also have to watch out for Zambrano at the plate-he had a .337 BA with four homeruns this year.
