LOS ANGELES — — Michael Busch went 4-for-5 with a home run and three runs scored, Cody Bellinger had three RBIs including a two-run home run, and the Chicago Cubs defeated the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers 10-4 on Monday night.

The Cubs had 16 hits on offense, with every player hitting at least one. They had lost a series to the AL East-leading New York Yankees, in which they had scored a total of seven hits and two runs in three games.

Bellinger and Busch gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead with two outs in the first inning against their old team.

“It was really awesome,” said Busch, a rookie who was drafted by the Dodgers in 2019 and traded to the Cubs last season. “I just tried to pressure them every inning.”

Bellinger hit a first-pitch, two-run homer off Walker Buehler (1-5) that also scored Ian Happ, who had the leadoff hit. The ball traveled 430 feet — halfway to the right-field pavilion — for his longest homer of the season and drew cheers from Chicago fans in the crowd of 50,495. Busch added an RBI single.

Bellinger smiled as he lapped the bases, taking in the scene on a 95-degree night with a strong, hot wind that whipped the flags in center field.

“A lot of good memories here. I love the fans and the people and the stadium,” he said. “It’s a strange feeling, but it’s a cool feeling and I always like to come back.”

Busch scored twice in the fourth inning to increase Chicago’s lead to 4-0.

“He’s been unbelievable for us,” Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks said. “Obviously, the pro at bat every time. Huge game that was really fun to watch. He’s been a cornerstone for us.”

Hendricks loaded the bases with two outs in the third inning — when Shohei Ohtani stole his 47th base of the season — but Max Muncy lined out to Busch at first on the first pitch to end the threat.

Hendricks allowed two runs and four hits in 4 1/3 innings. Keegan Thompson (2-1) worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief for the win.

“Every at bat, two-strike hits, adding to the lead, the bullpen coming in, some unbelievable plays on defense, just overall a really good game for us,” Hendricks said. “We know we’ve got to get some wins.”

Buehler gave up five runs and nine hits in five innings, striking out four and walking one.

“I screwed us from the beginning. Three runs in the first inning, it sucked the energy out of the building,” he said. “The first inning was a weird thing for me this year. It’s a lot to ask of the rest of our guys to pull me out of a hole every game.”

The Dodgers scored twice in the fifth inning on Mookie Betts’ RBI single and Muncy’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly to fall behind 4-2. Hendricks left the field after loading the bases for the second time.

The Cubs extended their lead to 7-2 in the sixth on Busch’s RBI single and Miguel Amaya’s two-run single off reliever Anthony Banda with two outs. Busch, like Bellinger, finished with three RBI.

The Dodgers took a 7-4 lead in the seventh inning on a home run by Betts and had a potential tying run in the at bat before Shawn Armstrong retired Gavin Lux to end the inning.

Busch scored on a sacrifice fly by Pete Crow-Armstrong in the eighth inning and Bellinger added an RBI single in a two-run ninth inning.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: LHP Justin Steele (tendonitis) will use a bullpen for the road trip, if all goes well.

Dodgers: OF Teoscar Hernández (bruised foot) ran drills on the field in hopes of returning Tuesday. … LHP Clayton Kershaw (big toe) worked out of a portable pitching ramp in tennis shoes. … RHP Tyler Glasnow (tendonitis) will throw a bullpen Tuesday and, assuming all goes well, a simulated game Friday in Atlanta. … RHP Brusdar Graterol (hamstring) is expected to be active Wednesday.

NEXT

Cubs: LHP Shota Imanaga (12-3, 2.99 ERA) and two relievers threw the 18th no-hitter in franchise history last week against Pittsburgh.

Dodgers: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6-2, 2.92) starts Tuesday after a nearly three-month absence due to a rotator cuff injury. He is expected to pitch three innings.

——

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb