The Cubs look to get back on track Thursday as they continue their seven-game West Coast trip with the opener of a four-game series against the struggling Dodgers.

Chicago (38-22) leads the majors with 341 runs and a .365 on-base percentage, but was limited to four hits and no walks in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to San Diego that snapped a nine-game winning streak.

Despite Wednesday's loss, the Cubs still managed to win their first road series since sweeping Pittsburgh April 7-9 - a step in the right direction for a team trying to prove it can win away from Wrigley Field.

"Obviously, we want to keep the streak going, but we did win the series," said Chicago's Derrek Lee.

The Cubs, who dropped to 12-14 on the road, still own the best record in the majors and have a three-game lead over second-place St. Louis in the NL Central. Chicago has dominated the NL West this season, going 16-3, including a three-game sweep of the Dodgers at Wrigley May 26-28 to even the all-time series at 1,010 wins apiece.

Los Angeles (28-31) is coming off a 2-1 loss to Colorado on Wednesday, its 10th defeat in 13 games.

The Dodgers are averaging 2.5 runs during that stretch, and have scored just 12 total runs in those losses. They scored one run in each of their three games at Wrigley last week.

Catcher Russell Martin is 1-for-13 in his last four games, while left fielder Andre Ethier is 5-for-24 (.208) with a homer and three RBIs in his last six.

"We haven't been swinging the bat," Los Angeles manager Joe Torre said. "Yeah, it is frustrating. We're putting a great deal of pressure on our starters because of the way we haven't been swinging the bat. You hate to waste all this good pitching."

One of the pitchers hurt by that lack of offense is Thursday's scheduled starter Chad Billingsley (4-6, 3.29 ERA).

The right-hander has allowed only two runs in 13 innings over his last two starts, but doesn't have a win for his efforts. Billingsley allowed two runs, four hits and struck out seven in a 3-1 loss to Chicago on May 26, his first career start against the Cubs. On Saturday, he gave up four hits in seven scoreless innings of a 3-2 loss to the New York Mets.

Billingsley is 2-1 with a 1.00 ERA in his last four starts, and has allowed two runs or less in six of his last seven outings. His 1.80 ERA since April 30 is second-best in the NL.

The Cubs counter with Ryan Dempster (7-2, 2.75), who looks to beat the Dodgers for the second time in 11 days.

Dempster, who opposed Billingsley two weeks ago, allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings in the win over Los Angeles. On Saturday, Dempster gave up three runs, three hits and struck out seven in five innings of a 5-4 victory over Colorado.

Despite a successful first two months of the season, Dempster is still seeking his first road win of the year. The right-hander is 0-2 with a 2.08 ERA in four road outings, receiving 10 total runs of support in those contests.

Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez went 4-for-9 with a homer, two RBIs and three walks against Los Angeles last week.