Dodgers beat Cubs 7-4 at Wrigley

Pinch-hitter Andre Ethier connected for a go-ahead, three-run homer off Ryan Dempster in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers stunned the Chicago Cubs 7-4 Thursday.

Alfonso Soriano hit two homers for the red>Cubs, including a three-run drive in the seventh that put Chicago ahead 4-2. But it wasn't enough to avoid a deflating defeat that dropped the red>Cubs into a first-place tie with idle Milwaukee in the NL Central. The Dodgers closed within 3Ãâ#128;šÃ#130;circ;frac12; games of NL West-leading Arizona.

Matt Kemp's homer off reliever Bobby Howry closed the gap to 4-3 in the eighth, and the Dodgers took the lead in the ninth against Dempster (2-5), who blew a save for the third time in 28 chances.

Russell Martin singled and James Loney followed with another single off Derrek Lee's glove at first. Ethier followed with a drive over the wall in left-center for a 6-4 lead, and the Dodgers added a run on Michael Wuertz's wild pitch that allowed Rafael Furcal to come home.

Joe Beimel (4-1) pitched 1 2-3 innings of hitless relief, and Takashi Saito got three outs for his 37th save in 40 chances

Cubs starter Jason Marquis retired his first 14 batters and allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings on a muggy day. Lowe gave up three runs, five hits and five walks in six innings.

Soriano hit his seventh leadoff homer this season and 39th of his career but Lowe escaped a big inning, thanks to a nice throw from catcher Russell Martin, who sat out Wednesday's game with a sprained knee.

One out after Soriano's homer, Derrek Lee singled and Daryle Ward walked. Martin fired to first to pick off Ward for the second out of the inning, and another walk to Mark DeRosa followed before Lowe struck out Jacque Jones. The Cubs also had first and third with two outs in the fourth before Marquis bounced out.

Loney homered to tied the score in the fifth and doubled for a 2-1 lead in the seventh. Soriano hit a three-run homer in the bottom half off Jonathan Broxton, who had given up only one homer in 71 2-3 innings this season.

Soriano leads the Cubs with 22 homers.