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Loaiza impressive with new team as Dodgers down Cubs

Sep 4, 2007 - 12:47 AM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Esteban Loaiza to help them with their playoff push. He did his job on Monday.

Loaiza pitched seven solid innings and drove in two runs as the Dodgers cruised to an 11-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the opener of a four-game series.

After being on the disabled list for the first 4 1/2 months of the season, Loaiza made just two starts with the Oakland Athletics before the Dodgers claimed the Mexican righthander off waivers on Wednesday.

"I just wanted to go out there and throw strikes and get people out," Loaiza said. "I am here for a reason and that is to help us get to the playoffs. I want to prove that I can still go out there and win games."

Loaiza (1-0) was shaky early, giving up a solo homer to Alfonso Soriano to lead off the first frame. But the 13-year veteran settled down and did not give up another hit until opposing pitcher Carlos Zambrano singled to start the third.

"The home run was only one hit - and I knew the game wouldn't end 1-0," Loaiza said.

Loaiza's cause was helped by Zambrano when he ran through a stop sign at third and was thrown out at home on Soriano's double.

"I didn't see the stop sign by our coach," Zambrano said. "I thought (Luis) Gonzalez had trouble getting to the ball, so I just put my head down and ran."

The 35-year-old Loaiza surrendered three runs and nine hits with three strikeouts to register his first win with his eighth different club.

"We couldn't have asked for anything more from Loaiza," Dodgers manager Grady Little said. "He went out there and threw strikes like we knew he could."

Loaiza also contributed at the plate, lining a base hit to left field off Zambrano to plate James Loney and Andy LaRoche and give Los Angeles a 4-2 advantage.

Zambrano (14-12) lost his fifth straight start, yielding eight runs on seven hits and five walks with six strikeouts over 4 1/3 frames.

The 26-year-old Venezuelan has been awful since the end of July, posting an 0-5 record with a 8.29 ERA in six outings over that stretch. The Cubs ace was booed by the home fans upon leaving the game.

"I don't accept that the fans booed me," Zambrano said. "I really can't understand that. I thought these were the greatest fans in baseball but they showed me today that they only care about themselves. That's not fair, when you are struggling, you want to feel like you have their support. I don't accept their reaction."

The Dodgers broke the game open in the fifth with a four-run inning. After Jeff Kent's sacrifice fly scored a run, Russell Martin delivered an RBI single to left and Loney followed with a two-run double to extend their advantage to 8-2.

"When you see a guy struggling with his command, you get more selective at the plate," Martin said. "It wasn't the plan before the game, but Zambrano wasn't throwing strikes."

Los Angeles struck again in the sixth. Kent hit an RBI single, Martin plated him with a sacrifice fly and Loney drove in another with a base hit to right to take an 11-2 lead.

The third-place Dodgers (72-65) trail the San Diego Padres (75-61) by four games in the National League West.

Trailing 11-3, the Cubs threatened in the ninth by loading the bases with no outs. But Craig Monroe grounded into a home-to-first double play and Mike Fontenot struck out swinging to end the game.

Chicago (70-66) still maintains its 1 1/2 game lead in the NL Central over the Milwaukee Brewers (69-68), who lost to the Houston Astros. The St. Louis Cardinals (67-67), who also lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, sit just two games back in third.

"It's been this way all summer, I don't expect it to change now," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "This thing will probably go right to the end of the year."