Cubs Smell A Goat

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Ah, the Cubs. You can always count on them to choke come playoff time.

James Loney hit a go-ahead grand slam in the fifth inning while Manny Ramirez and James Martin hit solo shots to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-2 win over Chicago in Game 1 of the NLDS.

The famed curse of the billy goat was in full force Wednesday night, with Cubs’ starter Ryan Dempster having his worst performance of the season.

Dempster had been fantastic throughout the regular season, compiling a 17-6 record and a 2.96 ERA, with 14 of those wins coming at Wrigley Field.

But Game 1 was a nightmare, with Dempster only lasting only 4 2/3 innings, giving up four runs on four hits, walking seven and striking out two. The seven walks matched a career high.

LA Dodgers 1B James Loney Hits a Grand Slam in the Fifth Inning During Game 1 of the NLDS

Derek Lowe was solid for the Dodgers, lasting six innings, giving up seven hits, walking one and striking out six. He gave up a two-run homer to Mark DeRosa in the second inning to give the Cubs a 2-0 lead.

But after the DeRosa homer he settled down, shutting the Cubs out on five hits over the next four innings.

The Dodgers took the lead for good in the fifth when Dempster walked the bases loaded.

With Loney at the plate, Dempster got two swinging strikes against the first baseman. After fouling off the next pitch, Loney unloaded to center to put Los Angeles ahead 4-2.

Los Angeles won the first game of the postseason on the road for just the fourth time in their history. The Dodgers also snapped a four-game postseason losing streak while extending the Cubs’ playoff skid to seven games.

Chicago will try to even the series Thursday night when they send 14-game winner Carlos Zambrano to the mound to face the Dodgers Chad Billingsley, a 16-game winner.

The Curse of the Billy Goat

The Cubs haven’t played a World Series game at Wrigley Field since 1945 and haven’t won baseball’s grand prize since 1908.

The curse levied against the team dates back to the ’45 World Series when William Sianis hexed the Cubs after his goat was ejected from the game by owner Phillip Knight Wrigley.

Since the organization insulted his goat, Sianis placed a curse on the Cubs, claiming they would never win another pennant or play in a World Series at Wrigley Field again.

After the goat was ejected, Sianis left to vacation in Greece. The Cubs lost the 1945 World Series to Detroit, and haven’t appeared in a World Series since.