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Dodgers down Cubs, set new mark for consecutive road wins

Aug 4, 2013 - 2:02 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Chris Capuano tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings to lead the way in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 13th consecutive road win, a 3-0 triumph over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Carl Crawford contributed three hits, including a two-run single, to help the Dodgers establish a new franchise record for consecutive victories away from home. The mark was originally set from Aug. 25-Sept. 6, 1924, when the club was then located in Brooklyn and known as the Robins.

It's the first time a team has won 13 in a row on the road in over a decade, with the Seattle Mariners last accomplishing the feat from May 15-June 5, 2003.

"That's what happens when you've got the kind of pitching like they have and obviously two guys that are super-hot over the last month in Hanley [Ramirez] and [Yasiel] Puig," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said of the Dodgers. "And then you mix in the other pieces and you've got a pretty nice combination of a team."

Capuano (4-6) scattered six hits and a walk while striking out five, with the veteran lefty aided by three double plays turned by the Dodgers' infield. Four Los Angeles relievers combined for 2 2/3 frames of two-hit ball to finish off the shutout, with Kenley Jansen striking out to in a perfect ninth to record his 16th save.

Jeff Samardzija (6-10) racked up nine strikeouts in six innings of work for Chicago, but issued five walks and permitted all three runs on seven hits.

The Cubs have now lost six of seven on their current homestand, with three of those setbacks taking place in this four-game set which concludes Sunday.

Samardzija struck out the side around a pair of walks in the second, but couldn't escape unscathed an inning later. Andre Ethier and Jerry Hairston delivered back-to-back two-out singles, the last plating Puig after the rookie sensation had reached on a bunt hit, to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead.

The Dodgers had a chance to extend the margin in the fourth, but Samardzija struck out Crawford and Puig in succession to work out of a bases-loaded, one- out jam. The game remained a one-run affair until the sixth, an inning which began with Samardzija walking Skip Schumaker.

Tim Federowicz smacked an opposite-field double two batters later and following a strikeout of Capuano, Crawford laced the first pitch he saw from Samardzija into right field for a single that brought home both runners.

"I think if you take a couple of walks out of there the day's a little bit different as a whole," said Samardzija. "I thought I pitched out of some big situations and got some key outs."

Capuano, meanwhile, kept the opposing bats squarely in check all throughout his stint, with the Cubs getting a man to second just one time over the initial six innings. Chicago did threaten in the seventh, however, with Welington Castillo stroking a leadoff double and Nate Schierholtz later chasing Capuano with a single that placed runners at the corners.

Brandon League then came on to get Cody Ransom to bounce into the Cubs' fourth double play of the afternoon and keep the shutout bid intact.

Chicago again came up empty in the eighth, despite loading the bases with two out on a pair of singles and a walk, as Paco Rodriguez fanned Castillo swinging to preserve the 3-0 lead.

Game Notes

Puig finished 2-for-3 before leaving in the eighth inning due to a left wrist contusion sustained while making a diving catch earlier in the contest ... Dodgers second baseman Mark Ellis, who entered as a defensive replacement in the eighth, grounded into a fielder's choice in the ninth to have a 13-game hitting streak snapped ... Capuano improved to 8-0 in his last 10 starts against the Cubs and hasn't given up a run through 30 1/3 innings in winning four straight starts at Wrigley Field dating back to 2006 ... Cole Gillespie went 2-for-4 to pace Chicago offensively ... Prior to the game, the Cubs purchased the contract of veteran infielder Donnie Murphy from Triple-A Iowa while designating outfielder Julio Borbon for assignment ... Seattle was the last MLB club to win 13 in a row on the road, doing so from May 15-June 5, 2003.