CHICAGO - Chris Capuano kick the Chicago Cubs with his bat and his arm Saturday.

Guess which one he'll remember more?

Capuano threw 7 shutout innings and gathering in two runs to lead the Dodgers to a 5-1 win over the Cubs.

Capuano (4-0) hold Chicago to 3 hits and struck out seven, fluctuating his scoreless innings strain to 18 2-3. His two-run double in the second gave him his first RBIs since Aug. 24, 2007.

"The first thing we did when we came in was watch my strike about 10 times," Capuano said. "That's the thing we get vehement about as pitchers."

There are copiousness of reasons to be vehement for the first-place Dodgers, who avoided their first three-game losing strain of the season. It's just the second time since 1988 that the Dodgers have won at slightest 18 of their first 27 games.

"It's been a lot of fun," Capuano said. "We've got good chemistry in the clubhouse. We're really staying together. As long as we continue to do that, it should be a fun year."

The Dodgers started 19-8 in 2009, the last year they won the National League West.

Capuano, who was a capable attack pitcher before blank two seasons with an bend injury, had left just 5 for 79 but an RBI since returning to the majors in 2010.

Capuano is off to his best start since winning his first 5 decisions in 2007. He's anticipating this deteriorate turns out better after he mislaid his final 12 decisions that year.

The lefty has won

seven of his past 9 starts opposite the Cubs, who hardly threatened him Saturday.

"I combined a violation round in open training that's been assisting me out and that we have a pretty good feel for," Capuano said. "It's good carrying a integrate of more weapons out there."

Chicago installed the bases with one out in the first, but Capuano struck out Alfonso Soriano and Ian Stewart looking. The Cubs got just 3 bottom runners opposite Capuano over his last 6 innings and didn't get another curtain past first base.

"I was pumped up removing that last out," Capuano said. "I think it kind of helped the movement representation our way. That's always big, when you can get out of a jam early."

Matt Kemp went 0 for 3 but gathering in a run with a scapegoat fly in the fifth.

Kemp's batting normal forsaken next .400 for the first time since Apr 10. The major-league home run personality hasn't left low in the Dodgers' last 4 games, his longest drought of the season.

Dee Gordon doubled home Matt Treanor in the fifth. Gordon also singled and stole his 12th bottom of the season.

"We just kind of chipped away," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "We didn't do a ton, but we did enough to get comfortable."

Cubs starter Chris Volstad (0-4) fell to 0-9 over 17 starts dating to Jul 10. He authorised 4 hits and 5 runs over 5 innings, walking 3 and distinguished out one.

During Volstad's long winless streak, his Achilles' heel has been an inability to equivocate big innings.

The problem flush again Saturday when his leadoff travel to Andre Ethier in the second led to a scapegoat fly.

Later that inning, Volstad left a representation up to Capuano, who laced it into the opening in right-center for a two-run double.

"It was a first-pitch fastball. That's customarily how we pitchers get our hits," Capuano said. "We kind of collect our mark where we think we can get a fastball and we kind of waylay it."

Left-handed pitcher Ted Lilly was ejected from the Dodgers' cave by home image referee Tim Timmons during the tip of the fifth.

I don’t always take closers early, but when we do, we take Mariano Rivera.

Actually, a little off-script but a little more accurate matter would be: we never take closers early, but if we did, we would go with Mariano Rivera.

This year, everybody had Craig Kimbrel as their tip closer. we had Mariano Rivera. Last year, Brian Wilson was the accord tip fireman. we pronounced it was Mariano Rivera.

Rivera has been my preseason tip closer every year for the same reason that Adrian Peterson has been the tip collect in anticipation football several seasons in a row: conjunction one was expected to be the best at his position, but both all but guaranteed to be good. Really good.
Rivera wasn’t Kimbrel in 2011, but he was the fourth-best closer in fantasy. We all had every right to design the same.

He’s the best closer because he can’t remove his job, and because he never gets severely hurt. Never.

That’s all in the past moving now. With Mo down, a vast blank is felt in the anticipation closer position.

It’s a incomparable blank because Mo isn’t the only closer to remove his pursuit recently. The Angels’ Jordan Walden was demoted to center relief, the Cubs’ Carlos Marmol was told he’s out of the closer pursuit and on Friday the White Sox’s warn closer, Hector Santiago, was private from his job. This all comes on the heels of what has probably been the craziest closer Apr in new memory. Fantasy owners are already traffic with fill-ins like Jonathan Broxton, Santiago Casilla, Alfredo Aceves, Fernando Rodney, Henry Rodriguez and Francisco Cordero.

Girardi has pronounced David Robertson and Rafael Soriano will fill the purpose vacated by Rivera; Scott Downs has the Angels’ job; Rafael Dolis and James Russell are pity the purpose for the Cubs; and Chris Sale changed from the revolution to the closer purpose with the White Sox.

Chances are, most owners are possibly scrambling for a new closer or are at slightest uncertain about their saves situation, so if they aren’t left already, apparently each of these guys should be grabbed in all leagues. But if you have your choice, whom do we prefer?

Robertson. As much as the Yankees will fake this separate is the plan, inevitably, one of the two relievers will take over as the closer. Soriano’s advantage is the ever-unimportant proven closer tag, but Robertson is the better pitcher. we like the younger of the two righthanders just because we trust he is more expected to get the pursuit done, and when in doubt, put trust in talent. I’d spend 50% of my season’s FAAB (Free Agent Auction Bidding) subsidy on Robertson and 30% on Soriano. With any luck, you’ll have the Yankees closer, a profitable commodity. Part of the reason I’d spend so much on Robertson is because I’m not a outrageous fan of the other options. Downs is good, to be sure, but we suppose Walden gets another possibility to tighten again some time this deteriorate (which is because owners should hang on to him if they can).

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BY PAUL JOHNSON
For Sun-Times Media

May 5, 2012 9:10PM

• Reprints

Albert Pujols, stumbling through the longest home run drought of his 12-year career, was not in the Los Angeles Angels' starting lineup Saturday for the first time this season.

And the three-time N.L. MVP wasn't happy about it. When a organisation of reporters approached his locker, Pujols said: "Go ask the manager, not me, guys. we don't make the lineup."

Mark Trumbo, who changed from first bottom to personification third and in the outfield after the Angels sealed Pujols, started at his original position Saturday night opposite the Toronto Blue Jays. It gave Pujols, the Angels' No. 3 hitter, a possibility to anticipate his .194 batting normal and the 5 RBIs he's had through his first 27 games in the A.L.

"It's good that he has a day off. He knows it. But we know he doesn't want to be out of the lineup," pronounced Angels right fielder Torii Hunter. "Albert shouldn't be happy about it. He's a competitor, man."

Manager Mike Scioscia sensitive Pujols, 32, on Friday night that he was going to rest him. Pujols, in the first year of a 10-year, $240 million contract, has left a career-worst 33 games and 137 at-bats but a home run since late last season.

"Sometimes you're grinding, and nobody grinds harder than Albert," Scioscia said.

Pujols is in a 2-for-27 rut and had just one RBI over his last 18 games. He spoke at length about his unemployment Friday night after going 0 for 4 in the Angels' second true shutout detriment to the Blue Jays.

"I can't

get myself down, because that's not who we am," he said. "I'm a personality in this clubhouse, just like we was in St. Louis. ... we just need to hang with the same attitude."

Marlins: Miami demoted closer Heath Bell from that purpose one day after he blew his fourth save this season. Manager Ozzie Guillen pronounced he couldn't wait any longer for Bell to scold his problems.

Padres: Closer Huston Street was placed on the 15-day infirm list with a aria nearby his pitching shoulder. In his first deteriorate with the Padres, Street has 4 saves and a 0.93 ERA in 10 appearances.

Brewers: Milwaukee shortstop Alex Gonzalez left Saturday's diversion opposite the Giants after injuring his right knee on a take try in the second inning. The Brewers contend he will bear an MRI.

Rockies: Colorado optioned Guillermo Moscoso to Triple-A Colorado Springs after the former A's right-hander struggled in his two starts with the Rockies. Moscoso was 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA since replacing Jeremy Guthrie in the rotation.

 Making up for rainouts at the San Luis Obispo tournament, Agoura (20-3-1) played two games on Saturday and won both times.

The Chargers degraded St. Bonaventure, 3-0. Albee Weiss had two hits and two RBIs. Justin Cana threw 4 shutout innings, distinguished out four. Agoura also degraded San Luis Obispo, 6-2. Garrett Giovanelli went 3 for three. Brody Fehmel had a two-run double.

Harvard-Westlake softened to 21-3-1 with a 6-3 feat over Narbonne. Arden Pabst had two hits. The Wolverines will try to hang up the Mission League pretension and a No. 1 seed for the Southern Section Division 2 playoffs by personification Loyola in a two-game array Tuesday and Thursday.

Los Alamitos separate a doubleheader with Capistrano Valley, winning the first game, 4-3, and losing the second game, 8-5.

Verdugo Hills degraded Cleveland, 7-6, in 8 innings. Brandon Zavala gathering in the winning run. Ray Carranza went 4 for four. Joe Armstrong strike a home run.

-- Eric Sondheimer