LA Dodgers complete series sweep of Cubs

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to the National League Championship Series after beating the Chicago Cubs 3-1 on Saturday to complete a three-games sweep.

The Dodgers will face either the Philadelphia Phillies or Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. The Phillies lead their series 2-1 after the Brewers won on Saturday.

For Chicago, the wait for the team's first world championship since 1908 continues into a second century. The loss was the ninth consecutive playoff defeat for the Cubs, a team that has not been to the World Series since 1945.

A delighted Los Angeles manager Joe Torre told the sell-out crowd at Dodger Stadium the series win was only the stepping stone to the NLCS and World Series.

"Don't go away. We'll be back next week because we still have eight more games to win," he said.

The Cubs had the best regular season-record in the National League at 97-64 -- 13 more wins than the Dodgers -- and beat them in five of their seven matches in 2008 prior to the playoffs.

However, the Dodgers dominated the series, outscoring the Cubs 20-6 over the three games.

Disappointed Cubs manager Lou Piniella said he had expected more from his team in the playoffs.

"I thought we would go further in the postseason. Six runs in three games," he added.

"All I know is you need to score more runs to win."

'NEW MR OCTOBER'

Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee held the only potent bat for Piniella, going 6-for-11 with three extra base hits in the series. Leadoff batter Alfonso Soriano hit .280 in the season with 29 homers, but could only manage one hit in 14 at bats.

The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a double by James Loney.

They tacked on a run in the fifth when All-Star catcher Russell Martin stroked a double off losing pitcher Rich Harden to bring home Rafael Furcal. Harden lost his first decision since July.

Starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda kept the Cubs in check into the 7th inning before relievers Cory Wade and Jonathan Broxton sewed up the win.

The Cubs' only true threat came in the eighth inning when Lee doubled and then was knocked in on a single by pinch-hitter Daryle Ward. Broxton relieved Wade after the single to strike out Mark DeRosa and stifle the rally.

The Dodgers have been transformed since the late-season arrival of Manny Ramirez, who hit .396 since joining them on July 31 in a trade from the Boston Red Sox.

Ramirez, called "The New Mr. October" by the media in Southern California, went 1-for-2 and scored a run in Saturday's game. He batted .500 in the three-games series.

The Dodgers also had a poor playoff record coming into this series, having no post-season wins since winning the World Series in 1988.

Torre takes LA into the second round of playoffs while the team that let him go a year ago, the New York Yankees, failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.

Torre said a midseason transition was the key to the ball club's fortunes. The team that took the field on Saturday hardly resembled the one that started the year.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)