Dodgers Disappoint in Memorial Day Loss to Cubs

CHICAGO -- Off the field it was a day to honor and pay tribute to those who perished while serving their country.

On the field, it was the Dodgers offense who perished.

The Los Angeles Dodgers managed only one hit on Memorial Day as they lost the opener to the Chicago Cubs 2-0 on Monday at Wrigley Field.

Jason Hammel, Travis Wood, Justin Grimm, Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon combined to allow just one-hit against the Dodgers as Justin Turner was the only batter to get a hit, on a single in the first inning.

Hammel had to leave the game with an apparent leg injury in the top of the third inning, making way for Travis Wood who pitched opposite Alex Wood in a classic Wood vs. Wood matchup.

Travis Wood (3-0), got the win, throwing a no-hitter through four innings with four strikeouts in four innings of relief for Chicago.

Alex Wood (1-4) got the loss, despite pitching well, surrendering just two runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts in five innings.

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Wood struggled in his four starts of the season, allowing 14 runs with 12 strikeouts and 11 walks through April. However, Wood has been fantastic since, allowing just 11 runs in his last six starts since with 50 strikeouts and just eight walks.

Wood was bitten with a bit of bad luck in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ben Zobrist started the inning off with a single to right field, but Yasiel Puig misplayed the ball, allowing Zobrist to reach third on the error.

"Yasi has done a great job all year, but he misplayed it," Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts told reporters about the mistake. "It would have been a single, but it ended up runner on third with no outs. Otherwise, he's given us good defense all year."

Jason Heyward followed with a swinging bunt single to score Zobrist and Anthony Rizzo hit a double to right field one batter later, as Puig was unable to throw out Heyward at the plate.

"He's argubaly their best hitter," Wood said of facing Zobrist. "It was my first time facing him, I was happy to get out of it without too much damage."

Those two runs were all that the Cubs pitching staff needed on Monday as Chicago went into cruise control from there, earning their MLB-leading 35^th victory of the season.

The Dodgers dropped a substantial opportunity to steal a game at Wrigley Field after Hammel had to leave the game in the third inning.

"It was unfortunate what happened to Hammel," Roberts told the media. "But when you get into the pen that early, you feel pretty good about it. For us to muster just one hit and get out 25 straight was not what we were expecting."

Fatigue may have played a factor in LA's performance as they did not arrive at their hotel in Chicago until 3 a.m. local time after playing in the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball against the Mets earlier.

"We were conscience of having a 4 o'clock afternoon game after an 8 o'clock night game," Wood said about the short rest. "We were definitely conscience of that today."

On days that the Dodgers travel through different time zones to play a game on the same day, they are now 1-6 on the season.

Things only get worse from here for the boys in clue as they will face Jake Arrieta on Tuesday and Jon Lester on Wednesday at Wrigley Field.

Players of the Game:

Cubs Pitching Staff: No runs on 1 hit, with 11 strikeouts.

Three Takeaways:

1. Defense Wins Championships: The Dodgers and Cubs are the two best teams in baseball when it comes to defensive efficiency rating, which measures the percentage of balls in play turning into outs. The Cubs are the best team in baseball with a 72.4% efficiency rating, and the Dodgers are second.

Entering today (pre-Puig error), the #Cubs and #Dodgers were No. 1 and 2 in defensive efficiency rating in the NL. #DefenseWinsChampionships — Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) May 30, 2016

2. Memorial Day: Major League Baseball found a great way to honor military veterans who perished while serving our country as both teams wore specifically designed caps and jerseys with camouflage on them as a tribute to those great countrymen before them.

A reminder, Dodgers wearing these jerseys and caps today https://t.co/QshuY4RCmz pic.twitter.com/ohXMDZ0Upp — Eric Stephen (@truebluela) May 30, 2016

3. Missing in Action: The Los Angeles Dodgers offense was nowhere to be found on Memorial Day as the team failed to get a hit or even so much as a baserunner after the first inning. Historically, the Dodgers have been doughty on the May holiday, with a 14-6 record, the best in baseball, on Memorial Day since 1993.