Chicago Cubs defeat Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1

CHICAGO — Instead of pointing a finger of blame at the umpires, Juan Pierre pointed one back at himself and chuckled.

Instead of bemoaning his misfortune, Chad Billingsley heaped praise on the opposing pitcher.

Instead of characterizing Hiroki Kuroda's return to the Dodgers' rotation on Monday as a necessity, Manager Joe Torre said it was something that would "make us deeper" and "give us some options."

The clubhouse serenity of a team that sits atop the baseb...