• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Billingsley sharp as Dodgers blank Padres

Sep 3, 2007 - 12:32 AM SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Chad Billingsley is looking more and more comfortable in the Los Angeles Dodgers' rotation each time out.

Billingsley pitched seven outstanding innings and matched his career high with nine strikeouts as the Dodgers avoided the sweep with a 5-0 victory over the San Diego Padres in the finale of a three-game series Sunday.

With the loss, the Padres (75-61) remained tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks (76-62) - who lost to the Colorado Rockies - in the National League West race. The Dodgers (71-65) are just four games behind in third place.

Billingsley (10-4) yielded just four hits and two walks en route to his third win in as many starts. The second-year righthander has posted a 1.71 ERA over that stretch.

"I've just been throwing well recently in the last two starts and going deep into the game," Billingsley said. "Today, it was nothing different, just getting guys out and making them hit my pitch."

In two starts against San Diego this season, Billingsley has hurled 14 scoreless innings, giving up just seven hits and striking out 18 batters. He is 3-0 with a 0.92 ERA and 29 strikeouts this season against the Padres.

"You always have a team who you've had success (against)," Billingsley said. "It was a big series for us. We had to at least take one. If we would've gotten swept, it would've hurt a lot."

The 23-year-old Billingsley allowed a baserunner in each of the first six innings but only once did one get past first base, coming on Adrian Gonzalez's leadoff double in the fourth inning.

"Chad was very good out there today, and it was a very solid outing for him," Dodgers manager Grady Little said. "He gave us seven strong innings, and you couldn't ask for anything more. I think that we need that (type of effort) from several people right now. The more we can get it, the better chance we'll have this year."

The Padres threatened in the eighth inning when Scott Proctor came on in relief and let the first two hitters reach base. Proctor was then relieved by Joe Beimel, who managed to get one out before loading the bases by issuing a walk to Geoff Blum.

Jonathan Broxton entered and struck out both Mike Cameron and Gonzalez to end the inning.

"Broxton came in and did what he does," Billingsley said. "He pitched great. It was a big win, we needed this one."

Andre Ethier gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead when he delivered an RBI single off San Diego starter Justin Germano (7-8) in the sixth inning.

It almost got worse for Germano in the sixth after issuing back-to-back walks to James Loney and Andy LaRoche to load the bases. But he struck out Billingsley to end the threat.

"(Germano) pitched good," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He hung in there. I thought one run through six innings was a solid performance. You can't ask for much more than that. (He was) very efficient early and wiggled out of some jams as we moved forward."

The Dodgers broke the game open in the seventh frame. Matt Kemp and Jeff Kent hit consecutive RBI singles and Loney smashed a two-run double to extend their advantage to 5-0.

"We were just waiting for that big hit, and we got it from (Ethier) when I started off the (sixth) inning with a single," Kemp said. "We just rolled from there. Every game is big now. We're in a race, and we're trying to get back into the mix of things. We've just got to keep playing good baseball like we did today."

Germano hurled six innings, surrendering one run and eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts.

San Diego had won six of its last seven games at Petco Park.

"It was just a little bit too much of Billingsley," Black said. "He pitched well against us up (in Los Angeles) the last time he started against us. Too much Chad."