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Ethier puts hit streak on line in opener with Cubs

May 2, 2011 - 2:34 PM (Sports Network) - Andre Ethier and the Los Angeles Dodgers will kick off a three-game series versus the Chicago Cubs tonight from Chavez Ravine.

Ethier is riding a 27-game hitting streak which remained intact with an infield single during Sunday's 7-0 loss to the visiting San Diego Padres in the rubber match of a three-game set from Dodger Stadium. Ethier is four games shy of tying Willie Davis for the longest hit streak in Dodgers history. Davis had a 31-game streak from Aug. 1 to Sept. 3, 1969.

"I guarantee if you asked someone at the beginning of the week who holds the [Dodgers] record for most consecutive hits, no one would have been able to name that name," Ethier told the team's site.

The National League record for consecutive hits is 44 games set by Pete Rose in 1978 and, of course, Joe DiMaggio holds the Major League record with a 56- game run during the 1941 season.

Matt Kemp had two hits for LA on Sunday and starter Jon Garland was dealt the loss for giving up three runs in six innings with eight strikeouts and four walks. Hong-Chih Kuo yielded four runs in relief.

"Jon always finds a way to keep himself in the game, but we just couldn't help him out," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.

Los Angeles, which has dropped two straight and four of six games, will hand the ball to young lefty Clayton Kershaw Monday night and he's 2-3 with a 3.52 earned run average in six starts. He is 0-2 in his previous three outings and lost a 4-2 decision at Florida last Tuesday.

Kershaw was hit for four runs and six hits over 5 1/3 innings against the Marlins. He has allowed three or more runs in each of his past three trips to the hill and owns a 1-1 mark with a 1.29 ERA in two career starts against the Cubs.

Chicago is coming off a four-game split with Arizona, but suffered a 4-3 loss in Sunday's series finale at Chase Field.

Cubs starter Casey Coleman absorbed the loss for surrendering four runs and four hits in five innings. Geovany Soto had a pair of doubles and drove in two runs for the Cubs, who had won the two middle games of the series.

Carlos Pena lifted a fly ball in the ninth inning that was caught by Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton.

"When it left the bat, I thought it had a chance to go," Pena said of his near-homer. "It wasn't my best hit but I knew I got a good piece of it."

James Russell draws the start for Chicago tonight and he sports a 1-3 mark with an 8.31 ERA in seven games (3 starts) this season. He has dropped consecutive outings and is coming off last Tuesday's 4-3 setback versus Colorado in which he permitted four runs for the second straight appearance on five hits, including three homers, in four innings of work.

Russell, a lefty, has allowed three homers in each of his last two starts and will make his first career start against the Dodgers. He is 0-0 with a 1.69 earned run average in four relief appearances in this series.

Los Angeles recently won two of three meetings with Chicago from April 22-24 at Wrigley Field and is 5-2 in the past seven matchups between the two clubs.