Shohei Ohtani snaps slump as Dodgers take heavyweight series from Cubs

As the defending two-time champions, the Dodgers don’t exactly need litmus tests. Still, this weekend gave them a chance to size up one of their biggest fellow National League contenders — and reaffirm their own status as MLB’s foremost World Series threat once again. After dropping a Friday night series opener to the Cubs that ran Chicago’s win streak to 10 games, the Dodgers bounced back the way title-winning teams are supposed to, cruising to back-to-back victories at Dodger Stadium to rally and take the three-game set.

The Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker went 1-for-3 and scored two runs Sunday against the Cubs. Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images The series was decided Sunday, in a 6-0 Dodgers win keyed by another pitching gem from Justin Wrobleski and another resurgent day from the club’s relentless lineup. Wrobleski spun six scoreless innings in his start, despite battling poor command, heavy traffic and a high pitch count early.

The Dodgers (19-9) gave him plenty of support by striking for three runs in the first (including two on a Miguel Rojas double), two more after Wrobleski left the mound in the sixth (which was keyed by a double from Andy Pages and RBI single from Dalton Rushing), then another in the seventh when Shohei Ohtani snapped his two-week home run drought with an insurance blast to the opposite field. Come October, these teams could wind up crossing paths again. Earlier this week, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts predicted the Cubs to “be in the mix” as his team goes for a third straight championship.

“They can really defend,” he said. “And they can really hit. ” But for now, the Dodgers’ supremacy remains undisputed.