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Dodgers' Billingsley looks to regain form

Sep 21, 2006 - 1:49 PM Pittsburgh (65-87) at LA Dodgers (79-73) 10:10 pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - The Los Angeles Dodgers will be watching Chad Billingsley closely.

Billingsley only lasted one inning in his last appearance, and the Dodgers hope the rookie returns to form in the finale of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.

The Dodgers have lost the first two to the Pirates, and are one-half game behind the San Diego Padres in the National League West Division and tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for the wild card lead.

Slumping Los Angeles is just 6-11 in its last 17 games.

Billingsley (5-4, 3.32 ERA), who suffered a strained oblique muscle on August 27, did not last long against the Padres on Saturday. The righthander needed 40 pitches to get through the inning and surrendered three runs and three hits in an 11-2 defeat.

Prior to that outing, Billingsley had been tremendous in his last six starts, going 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA.

Pittsburgh sends Shane Youman (0-1, 4.32) to the mound in his second career start and third outing. In his major league debut against the Cincinnati Reds on September 10, Youman took a loss, surrendering three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 4-2 defeat.

Jose Bautista homered and Freddy Sanchez had four hits to lead the Pirates to a 6-4 victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday.

Pittsburgh has won five straight and seven of its last eight. The Pirates entered the All-Star break with a 30-60 record but have gone 35-27 since.