The Dodgers' improbable three-game sweep of the Cubs came largely on the strength of two-out hits with runners in scoring position, something that earlier this season was a fairly foreign concept to this team. All three games turned on a single inning by the Dodgers, and three of those innings turned on a big two-out hit.
In Game 1, it was James Loney's grand slam in the fifth inning that turned a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 lead, and the Dodgers never trailed at any point in any game for the rest of the series. In Game 2, it was a bases-loaded bunt single by Rafael Furcal and a three-run double by Russell Martin, both of which came with two outs, that capped a five-run outburst in the second inning. And in Game 3, it was Loney again, delivering a two-out, two-run double in the first inning to put the Dodgers in front. Of the 20 runs the Dodgers scored in the series, 13 came with two outs.
During the regular season, Loney batted just .256 with two outs and runners in scoring position. But Martin seemed to thrive on such situations, batting .297 with five doubles and 22 RBI.
For the series, the Dodgers batted .400 (8-for-20) with two outs and runners in scoring position despite stranding 13 runners in scoring position for the three games.
DODGERS 3, CUBS 1: RHP Hiroki Kuroda shut out the Cubs for 6 1/3 innings and relievers Cory Wade and Jonathan Broxton took care of the rest, completing the three-game sweep and putting the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series for the first time in 20 years and giving them their first postseason series victory since they won that year's World Series. Russell Martin doubled twice for the Dodgers.
