Nolasco leads Dodgers to 4-0 shutout of Cubs

There have been ebbs and flows during the career of Dodgers right-hander Ricky Nolasco, but when he is right, there are few better arms in Major League Baseball.

Nolasco had his entire arsenal working on Wednesday afternoon and, as a result, he blanked the Chicago Cubs through 8 innings. The 30-year-old cruised through the 8 frames, allowing only 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 11 batters. In the end, Nolasco’s dominance coupled with some early offense was enough for LA to finish off a 4-0 victory.

Offensively, the Dodgers got a 1st-inning home run from Hanley Ramirez and a 4th-inning bomb from Andre Ethier to pace their scoring, but the finishing blow came with a 2-run output in the 5th. However, Ramirez’s home run turned out to be all that Nolasco and Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen needed, as the duo put the Cubs lineup to rest in the shutout win.

With the performance, Nolasco lowered his ERA to a sparkling 3.26, and he looks to have found “it” since arriving in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for him, this win will likely be overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Yasiel Puig and a 1st-inning ejection by Cubs manager Dale Sveum, but for Dodgers fans, they can take solace in the fact that their #4 starter looks to be primed and ready for playoff baseball.