Fukudome's single in ninth takes Cubs to 5-4 victory over Dodgers

LOS ANGELES -- Don't tell Cubs manager Lou Piniella that this isn't how you draw up a victory.

"Well, actually we drew it up with the closer coming in to protect a 1-run lead," an exhausted Piniella said after his team survived a 5-4 victory over the Dodgers on Thursday night.

"That's what he was doing. Exciting game. I've had all the fun I want for one evening. Yeah, the decision was in the balance until the last pitch."

That last pitch was a fastball strikeout by Kerry Wood of the Dodgers' Matt Kemp to end the game with the bases loaded. The Cubs had gone ahead in the top of the ninth on an RBI single by Kosuke Fukudome.

The victory improved the Cubs to 39-22, but if this was the way to draw it up, the medium was finger painting.

The Cubs jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the fourth inning, in part on homers by Fukudome and Mark DeRosa.

More Coverage Stories Gallagher a fixture in Cubs' rotation Cubs draft pitcher from TCU

Starting pitcher Ryan Dempster was cruising, and then he started to fall behind hitters. The Dodgers scored twice in the fifth and once in the sixth to chase Dempster.

"You know what?" Dempster said. "I'm kind of disappointed in myself because I was getting ahead of guys, being really aggressive."

In the sixth, Dempster gave up a one-out homer to Jeff Kent -- the first of 2 Kent homers on the night -- and then walked Russell Martin, forcing Piniella to lift Dempster for Neal Cotts.

"In that sixth inning, I don't know," Dempster said. "I felt good. I felt strong. I was just getting behind every guy. There's really no excuse for it. I was feeling good today. My stuff was plenty good. That's a game where I've got to be better than that."

The Cubs held on until the eighth, when Bob Howry gave up a game-tying homer to Kent with two outs.

In the top of the ninth, Ryan Theriot (3-for-5) led off with a double. Derrek Lee struck out, and Aramis Ramirez was hit by a pitch.

Fukudome then came up against Takashi Saito and grounded the ball into right-field for an RBI single. Fukudome said he couldn't remember facing Saito in Japan before.

"Of course, whenever I get a big hit so the team can win, it's a good feeling," said Fukudome, who had struggled on the road. "Perhaps because my family's in town (he did well at Dodger Stadium)."

Wood came on in the bottom of the ninth and gave up a leadoff double to James Loney. A strikeout of Blake DeWitt and a flyout by Chin-Lung Hu brought pinch hitter Terry Tiffee to the plate, and Wood hit him with a 1-2 pitch.

Juan Pierre fell behind 0-2 before Wood walked him. Wood fell behind Kemp 2-0 before resorting to the fastball and throwing 3 straight strikes to record his 17th save.