Coghlan's HR leads Cubs over Dodgers
LOS ANGELES - Edwin Jackson pitched six innings for his first victory in six weeks and Chris Coghlan hit a tiebreaking two-run homer, leading the Cubs to a 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday.
Jackson (6-11) allowed two runs and seven hits, struck out six and walked none. The right-hander was 0-4 with a 7.39 ERA in his previous seven starts since beating Pittsburgh 6-3 on June 20 at Wrigley Field.
The Dodgers dropped two of three to the team with the third-worst record in the majors. Los Angeles' NL West lead was trimmed to 2 1/2 games over San Francisco, which won 9-0 at the New York Mets.
Matt Kemp trimmed Chicago's lead to 3-2 in the sixth with his fifth homer in six games and No. 13 on the year. But Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo helped preserve the lead in the seventh, making a leaping grab of Carl Crawford's line drive and turning it into an inning-ending double play by trapping Drew Butera off second.
The Dodgers got a run in the eighth off Pedro Strop, but Luis Valbuena responded in the ninth against Chris Perez with his 10th homer.
Los Angeles right-hander Josh Beckett (6-6) gave up three runs and six hits in four-plus innings in his fifth straight start when he failed to get past the fifth. The three-time All-Star is 3-5 with a 3.30 ERA in 10 starts since his no-hitter on May 25 at Philadelphia.
Beckett, facing the Cubs for the first time since Aug. 28, 2005, struck out Ryan Sweeney with the bases loaded in the third. But he surrendered a leadoff double by Jackson in the fifth, and Coghlan followed with his sixth homer.
The Cubs made it 6-2 in the eighth with John Baker's RBI groundout and a two-run single by pinch-hitter Starlin Castro, who was rested after starting each of the team's first 109 games.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Cubs: Newly acquired left-hander Felix Doubront had a bullpen session at Dodger Stadium while continuing his rehab from a left calf strain.
Dodgers: Catcher A.J. Ellis missed his second straight game because of a sore right knee, which was struck by a foul tip off Rizzo's bat in the sixth inning of Friday's series opener. ... Butera was struck in the groin by a foul tip off the bet of Nate Schierholtz on the fourth inning and was given as much time as he needed to collect himself before going back behind the plate.
ON DECK
Cubs: Left-hander Travis Wood (7-9, 5.10 ERA) matches up against Colorado lefty Brett Anderson (1-3 3.12 ERA) Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series at Coors Field.
Dodgers: Their next four games are against the Angels, with right-hander Zack Greinke (12-6, 2.65 ERA) opposing Garrett Richards (11-4, 2.74 ERA) on Monday night at Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers have won only one season series from the Angels in the previous 14 years, going 4-2 in 2006.