Bryant’s 2-run homer rallies Cubs past Dodgers 6-4 in 10

Ruiz flew into Los Angeles on Friday morning and was in the starting lineup at night, his first game as a Dodger after playing 1,069 in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform.

Kris Bryant hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the 10th inning to go with an earlier solo shot, lifting the Cubs to a 6-4 victory Friday night in the series opener between NL division leaders. Cubbies starter Jason Hammel was charged with all three runs on five hits over 2.1 frames to absorb the loss. But Urias need only 63 pitches to blank the powerful Cubs on four hits over the next five innings, a solid encore to his six-inning, six-hit, six-strikeout, no-walk shutout of the Cincinnati Reds last Sunday. Truth be told, there weren’t really any Cubs highlights worth noting in this game. “There’s a quiet confidence”. The 37-year-old Ruiz is hitting.340 (16-for-47) since the All-Star break and will backup Yasmani Grandal, who is batting.299 with 15 home runs in his last 41 games.TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, ABC7 (Chicago), SportsNet LA (Los Angeles) PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs LH Mike Montgomery (4-5, 2.41 ERA) vs. Dodgers RH Bud Norris (6-10, 4.69) Montgomery allowed one run over 4 1/3 innings against Colorado on Saturday in his first start since July 17 and made a strong impression on manager Joe Maddon. He is able to put the ball in play with two strikes.

“His ball was moving real good and it surprised me”, Ruiz said.

“Other than that I feel like their hits found the holes”. “That for me is the biggest difference over past year”. Los Angeles holds a one-game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the NL West but let a 4-2 lead get away Friday on Bryant’s eighth-inning homer and a ninth-inning wild pitch by closer Kenley Jansen.

“I didn’t have a lot of hours of sleep last night, letting my teammates down”, Jansen said.

“I have to figure out how I can be angry all the time out there”, Jansen joked after striking out two of the three batters in the ninth. Seager broke the 86-year-old mark of Glenn Wright, who hit 22 in 1930.The Dodgers (72-57) ended a two-game skid and snapped a four-game winning streak by the Cubs (82-46). “He was not happy with me taking him out that early”. But even from the start of the game, despite the tight scoreline, despite the fact that the Dodgers led for the majority of the time, there were some stark differences between the two teams, a superior element of the Cubs’ play which Win Probability Added (WPA) illuminates. As for whether it was about broader issues than the one-day considerations Maddon described, Hammel said: “That’s a topic that’s between me and Joe”.

The Cubs’ rally in the seventh came up short.

But with two on and two outs, left-hander Adam Liberatore replaced Baez and got No. 3 hitter Anthony Rizzo to ground out to first to end the inning.

Justin Turner’s groundout in the third scored Howie Kendrick for a 2-1 Dodgers’ edge.

NEW YORK (AP) – Rookie Gary Sanchez kept up a most remarkable run, homering for the third straight game to help New York rout Baltimore.

Despite blowing his sixth save of the season, Jansen struck out two to surpass Jim Brewer for most strikeouts by a reliever in Dodgers franchise history with 606. The mindset started on Opening Day, when the Dodgers placed 10 players on the disabled list, but really crystalized when Clayton Kershaw went down with a back injury in late June.

It was not easy, but nothing has been with the Dodgers this season. Dodgers OF/1B Scott Van Slyke (right wrist irritation) is done for the season and is scheduled to undergo surgery soon.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts enjoys challenges.

Cubs fans in attendance at Dodger Stadium chanted “MVP!” for Bryant after his go-ahead home run in the 10th. “MVP!” as Bryant scored behind Dexter Fowler, who singled leading off. The team has seen similar partisan crowds around the country this season.