Gallagher really warms up to Wrigley Field

Know this about Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.

The game-time temperature was 42 with a wind chill of 35.

Wind chill. Four days from June.

That was just fine with Cubs starting pitcher Sean Gallagher. The rookie stated his case to stay in the rotation, and the Cubs' offense scratched out just enough for a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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So, how about it, Sean, was it a good night to pitch?

"Oh, definitely, it was tonight," said Gallagher, who worked 7 innings to improve to 2-1, doing it all in short sleeves. "I just didn't feel like it was a long-sleeve night. I got out there. I was warming up, body heat cranked in, and I didn't feel like I needed them."

The victory was the second in two games for the Cubs (31-21) over the Dodgers. The biggest scare of the night for Gallagher came in the first inning, when Andre Ethier's comebacker caught him square on the right index finger.

"It's feeling pretty well, just a little swollen," said Gallagher, who had a bandage on the digit. "I got lucky. It went right in between the knuckles. If it would have hit one of the knuckles, I might have had a chance to break something."

Gallagher carried on and made yet another positive impression on his manager.

"He's still got a couple things to work on, but, yeah, he's telling us he wants to stay in the rotation," skipper Lou Piniella said.

The Dodgers scored a run in the fourth, the result of 3 singles, a wild pitch and a walk.

The Cubs did little with Dodgers starter Huroki Kuroda until breaking through in a 3-run seventh. Kuroda had runners on first and third with one out when he left.

An error by L.A. third baseman Blake DeWitt on Mike Fontenot's grounder tied the game at 1-1.

Aramis Ramirez hit a run-scoring single off Jonathan Broxton, and Kosuke Fukudome showed he's breaking out of a mild slump as he drilled a double down the left-field line.

"I'm trying to do something different every day," Fukudome said. "It just happened to work. Whatever I changed today worked out pretty good today."

On Kosuke Fukudome bobblehead night -- "everybody told me it doesn't look like me," he said -- he contributed on defense, too, ranging far into right-center from his right-field spot to stab Juan Pierre's liner in the eighth with a man on first.

"Defensively, I think I've been able to do what I'm supposed to do, the way I want to do," Fukudome said. "Offensively, I think there are a few things I can still improve."

Carlos Marmol survived a shaky eighth, getting out of a self-made, bases-loaded jam. Kerry Wood earned his second save in two days and his 12th of the season.

Much less heralded than Fukudome's giveaway were the Iowa Cubs T-shirts the Cubs were sporting in the clubhouse. Those bore the name and number of Gallagher. For that, Gallagher thanked center fielder Jim Edmonds.

"I guess it was a giveaway they had down in Des Moines," Gallagher said. "They probably put the order in before I got called back up. They sent me a box of them. I opened it up, and Jimmy saw them and said, 'I want one.' That just started from there. Everyone just kept taking one."

If this keeps up, Gallagher may not have to worry about being an Iowa Cub again.

Cubs 3, Dodgers 1

At the plate: The Cubs scored 3 runs in the seventh to erase a 1-0 Dodgers lead. Aramis Ramirez hit an RBI single to put the Cubs ahead, and Kosuke Fukudome added a run-scoring double.

On the mound: Sean Gallagher enjoyed his best start as a Cub, working 7 innings and giving up 4 hits and 1 run. He threw 111 pitches, 73 for strikes. Carlos Marmol loaded the bases in the eighth but got out of trouble. Kerry Wood earned his 12th save in 16 chances.