Dodgers roll early against Pirates, 8-1

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rafael Furcal went 4-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs, James Loney extended his season-opening hitting streak to 15 games and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the mistake-prone Pittsburgh Pirates 8-1 Wednesday night.

Brad Penny (2-2) allowed an unearned run and five hits over 52‚Ñ3 innings, striking out four and walking none. The right-hander, who gave up four runs in an inning in each of his previous two starts — both losses — breezed to the win after his teammates scored four runs in the first inning and two more in the second.

Paul Maholm (0-2) gave up six runs — four earned — and 11 hits over five innings after pitching 51‚Ñ3 scoreless innings last Friday at San Diego. The left-hander is 0-3 against the Dodgers, allowing 17 earned runs over 23 innings in four career starts against them.

Loney, the only player other that Pittsburgh’s Nate McLouth to hit safely in his team’s first 15 games, had a pair of sacrifice flies before singling in the seventh off former Dodger Franquelis Osoria to extend his streak.