Dodger ace Kevin Brown. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Kevin Brown has some tough acts to follow. Starters Kazuhisa Ishii and Andy Ashby both dominated as the Los Angeles Dodgers swept a doubleheader Sunday from the Chicago Cubs by 5-4 and 4-1.

        Their performances followed a one-hit shutout Friday by Odalis Perez as the Dodgers allowed only five runs and 10 hits in the series. The Dodgers' team ERA is 2.95.

        “All of our pitchers are throwing at the tops of their games,” outfielder Shawn Green said. “We expected them to be good, but not dominate like this.”

        Brown is scheduled to return Tuesday to a club that went 10-3 without him while he was sidelined with swelling in his right shoulder.

        “We don't make excuses here,” said manager Jim Tracy, whose club battled injuries in an 86-win season last year. “We're aggressive and we make mistakes, but we don't back down or make apologies. We build on what's coming. On Tuesday, we get our ace back.”

        In Brown's absence, Omar Daal, who went 2-0 with a 0.73 ERA in two spot starts, Hideo Nomo, Perez, Ishii and Ashby have rebounded from an abysmal start of the season to post a National League-leading 2.51 ERA.

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