Baseball: LA Dodgers 6 Chicago Cubs 1

A.J. Ellis went 3-for-3 with a pair of homers Friday and the Los Angeles Dodgers broke a three-game skid with a 6-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Ellis socked a solo shot in the third inning and put the Dodgers ahead 3-1 with an RBI single in the fifth. The Los Angeles catcher capped his big night with a solo blast in the seventh, finishing with three RBI as the Dodgers took the opener of a three-game series. Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-4 with two RBI for Los Angeles. Chad Billingsley (7-9) won his third straight start, holding the Cubs to one run on four hits over seven innings. The right-hander walked two and struck out seven. The victory enabled the second-place Dodgers to stay one-half game behind National League West-leading San Francisco following the Giants' triumph over Colorado Friday. Chicago's Jeff Samardzija (7-9) was tagged for five runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 frames. Luis Valbuena delivered the Cubs' only RBI.