Dodgers Sweep Cubs, Advance to NLCS

The Dodgers swept the Cubs, winning three in a row capped off with strong pitching from Hiroki Kuroda in game three and with solid defense from the boys in blue.

For the Cubs, the end of this series marks the second straight year they have been swept out of the playoffs by an NL West team (Arizona had the privelege of dispatching the Cubs last year).

L.A. did its job by getting up 2-0 early in the game and preventing the Cubs from ever holding a lead during the game – all courtesy of a two-run double hit by James Loney.

Strangely, the Cubs seemed to be in a state of flux throughout these post-season games. Across three games, the Cubs put three different lineups out there – something you can try during the regular season but can often backfire on you in the postseason.

Dodger skipper Joe Torre indicated the key to success thus far has been taking calculated risks. “What we’ve done the last couple of games, with two pitchers that have thrown the ball pretty hard, is to try to maintain patience and try to get something we can handle,” Torre said. “What I like to call controlled aggressiveness as opposed to being aggressive and swinging at everything you see.

Loney certainly was vying for Dodger MVP in this series, as hey not only drove in the two key runs early in this game but also a grand-slam home run in the 5th inning of game 1.

This is the first Dodgers sweep in the postseason since 1963 and the first postseason series win for the team since 1988.

Congrats to the Dodgers for ending a 20 year drought!