--RHP Jonathan Broxton recorded the final four outs in a save situation, raising questions as to who is the Dodgers' closer. Takashi Saito was roughed up in the ninth inning of Game 2, although he was pitching with a seven-run lead. Dodgers manager Joe Torre said he stuck with Broxton because Broxton was throwing a high percentage of strikes, but Torre had said repeatedly in the 48 hours since Game 2 that Saito was still the closer.
--SS Rafael Furcal seemed to lay to rest any questions about his physical well-being. After missing almost five months because of a lower back injury that required surgery and playing only three games after coming off the disabled list on Sept. 24, Furcal batted .333 (4-for-12) with three walks and three runs scored in the series. He also played his position flawlessly, although the official scorer awarded Ryan Theriot a hit in the seventh inning of Game 3 that could have gone as an error on Furcal. --RHP Hiroki Kuroda had a 0.42 ERA in three starts against the Cubs this season, going 2-1. He capped that domination with 6 1/3 shutout innings in Game 3, deftly dodging trouble at every turn until the Cubs stranded eight runners against him, half of them in scoring position. Kuroda, who pitched a four-hit shutout against the Cubs on June 6, allowed a total of two runs (one unearned) in 21 2/3 innings against them this year.
--C Russell Martin batted .308 (4-for-13) for the series with three doubles, a home run and five RBI. Martin clearly benefited not only from having Manny Ramirez hitting behind him but also from having Rafael Furcal hitting in front of him. Of the 12 occasions in which Martin came to the plate and wasn't leading off an inning, Furcal was on base seven times.
--LF Manny Ramirez batted .500 (5-for-10) for the series with two homers and five runs scored. He also walked four times, two of them intentional. He went 3-for-4 with runners in scoring position and is batting .489 (22-for-45) for the Dodgers in such situations.
BY THE NUMBERS: 45 -- Years since the Dodgers had swept a postseason series, something they had most recently accomplished against the New York Yankees in the 1963 World Series. In fact, that is the only previous occasion in the franchise's history, which now includes 13 postseason series victories, in which the Dodgers swept an opponent. The Dodgers had themselves been swept in three of their previous four first-round series since the wild card was added in 1995.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "You never know what is going to happen in a series like this. You can sweep somebody, or you can get swept, too. Once you take those first two games, you can't let them back in or give them any kind of breathing room at all. We just took it to them tonight." -- Reliever Jonathan Broxton, who appeared in all three games and retired 10 of the 12 batters he faced without giving up a hit or a run or allowing an inherited runner to score.
