Chicago's rotation has taken its own hits, with Justin Steele, Cade Horton and Edward Cabrera all out and Clay Holmes only now working his way back for his Cubs debut. That didn't stop the Cubs from taking the first two games of this series behind two-run homers from Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly and Kevin Alcántara and a Dansby Swanson solo shot, forcing Los Angeles to try to salvage the finale as a market underdog on the moneyline.
For a while, it looked like a formality. Chicago built a 7-1 lead through seven innings and had every reason to expect a routine finish to the sweep. Then the Dodgers, who'd looked lifeless for a week, put together a 5-run 8th inning that turned a laugher into a nail-biter.
It wasn't enough. Chicago held on for the 7-6 win, extending the Dodgers' losing streak to 6 straight and completing a series sweep that started with a 10-5 blowout and continued with a 5-1 win the night before. Los Angeles racked up 14 hits and got a homer from Kyle Tucker in the loss, but a rally that arrives an inning too late is still a loss on the scoreboard.
Freddie Freeman is still playing through his day-to-day designation and producing when he's out there, which will matter plenty once this slide is behind them. For now, the Dodgers head out of Chicago having been outscored across three games, and the Cubs banked a series that padded a lead they'll want to protect the rest of the summer.