Dodgers 8, Cubs 4: Dee Gordon and Yasiel Puig each drove in a run during a five-run seventh inning as Los Angeles rallied past host Chicago in the opener of a four-game set.

Puig contributed three singles, Gordon added two hits and Hanley Ramirez returned from a two-game absence to go 2-for-4 and score twice for the Dodgers, who moved 2½ games ahead of San Francisco in the National League West. Paco Rodriguez (1-0) worked a scoreless seventh, Brian Wilson tossed a perfect eighth and Kenley Jansen struck out a pair during a flawless ninth in a non-save situation to seal it.

Jorge Soler finished with two RBIs for the Cubs, who lost for only the second time in six tries despite watching their first five hitters each post two hits. Neil Ramirez (2-3) was tagged for the loss after recording only two outs while giving up all five seventh-inning runs (one earned).

Chicago raced out to a two-run advantage before Zack Greinke could record an out as Luis Valbuena and Soler delivered RBI singles. After the Cubs managed to stretch their lead to 4-1 on Soler’s second run-scoring single and Mike Olt’s sacrifice fly in the fifth, Los Angeles caught fire in the seventh following back-to-back one-out singles from Hanley Ramirez and Carl Crawford.

Hanley Ramirez scored on a groundout to draw the Dodgers within 4-2 and Crawford advanced to second on the same play on a fielding error by Cubs second baseman Logan Watkins, allowing him to score on Andre Ethier’s double to the gap in left-center. Justin Turner knotted it moments later on an RBI groundout, Gordon doubled past third to put the Dodgers in front and Puig capped the outburst with a line-drive single up the middle.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Los Angeles has won five straight against Chicago and 11 of the last 14 meetings. ... The Cubs dropped to 56-9 in games in which they entered the seventh inning with a lead while the Dodgers won for only the second time in 56 contests when trailing in the same situation.. … Greinke surrendered four runs on nine hits and needed 112 pitches to get through five innings while Chicago starter Tsuyoshi Wada yielded one run on five hits in five frames.