Cubs chew on tough Wrigley loss

The TBS announcers described the Chicago crowd at the end of this game as "stunned."

Maybe they were, but this should not have come as a shock. A mild surprise at most.

Derek Lowe pitched very well down the stretch, and the Dodgers were a good team after getting Manny Ramirez.

This was a crucial game for the Dodgers. The Cubs' best pitcher, Carlos Zambrano, is on the mound in the second game. You'd have to favor him against Chad Billingsley. This was very close to a must-win game for the Dodgers.

Ryan Dempster was a journeyman pitcher for most of his tenure with the Cubs. He was great this year -- until Wednesday.

Seven walks proved to be Dempster's undoing. I couldn't tell whether he just wasn't sharp or if he wasn't challenging hitters.

He got away with it until the fifth, when James Loney hit a 3-2 pitch out of the ballpark. Manny Ramirez hit a solo shot in that inning, too -- and that one was way out.

The lights went out for the Cubs' power Wednesday. Only Mark DeRosa did anything, hitting a two-run homer in the second and a single later.

But give Lowe credit. He did all the things Dempster didn't.  He gave up seven hits and two runs in six innings. He gave up just one walk.

Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee each got a hit. Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome and Geovany Soto went hitless. So one through six in the order combined to get two hits.

OK, let's put the word out there -- curse. Someone must believe it -- the Cubs' dugout was sprinkled with holy water before Wednesday's game. They better have another strategy besides divine intervention.

The Dodgers showed the power and patience that's been missing much of the year. They worked the count against Dempster. And they hit three homers -- Russell Martin hit one in the ninth following Loney's and Ramirez's shots in the fifth.

Now the Cubs must win the second game. You'd think Zambrano would be the perfect guy to send out there.

Well, maybe. He has great stuff. He can be physically dominant. But he has meltdowns. His last outing of the year was awful.

How will he handle the pressure? We really don't know. He did OK in the game he pitched in the playoffs last year. (He was taken out early and the Cubs lost.)

The Cubs have lost seven straight postseason games, including a sweep last year against the Diamondbacks. Curse or not, they're not a good playoff team until they prove they are.

They had a good season, and their team is loaded with all-stars. It all means little unless you can turn that into playoff wins.

In the third game, it's Rich Harden vs. Hiroki Kuroda. A pretty good matchup. But if the Dodgers are up 2-0, it's probably going to be a sweep.

Note to announcers: You do not have to say "grand slam homer." There's no such thing as a grand-slam single, double or triple. You simply say "grand slam."

Game notes: Dodgers fans have to be heartened to see Rafael Furcal back. He missed most of the season with injuries... Greg Maddux pitched the ninth for the Dodgers.