• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Billingsley sharp as Dodgers top Reds

Jun 18, 2008 - 4:23 AM By Douglas Tifft PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- It seems that all the Los Angeles Dodgers need to do to cure their woes is find the Cincinnati Reds on the schedule.

Chad Billingsley pitched 6 1/3 effective innings as the Dodgers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Reds on Tuesday.

Juan Pierre, Russell Martin and Jeff Kent each had an RBI double for Los Angeles, which improved to 5-1 against Cincinnati on the season.

One of the main problems during the Dodgers' recent losing streak was allowing seven runs per game. Billingsley cured that problem by yielding a run, five hits and three walks while striking out nine to improve to 2-0 against the Reds.

"I threw a lot more fastballs today, Billingsley said. "Most everything was working today. I threw my changeup and sinker a lot. Also, my curveball and my cutter were effective."

The hard-throwing righthander, who earned his first win in five outings, made his case to fill the ace's spot in the rotation in the absence of Brad Penny.

"I was just going after guys, throwing in different pitches to keep them off balance," Billingsley said.

Penny was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with inflammation and tendinitis in his right shoulder.

"That was big for Chad," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "Someone was going to have to pick us up. Before I came on here I heard a lot of good things about Billingsley, and I have been seeing that. Once he started to hit his stride, you can see that leadership qualities, the take-charge qualities that he has."

Joe Beimel and Jonathan Broxton combined for 1 2/3 innings of hitless relief before Takashi Saito worked around a leadoff single in the ninth to record his ninth save.

"It has been hard because save opportunities have been few," Saito said through an interpreter. "That's something that you think about before the game, but once you get on the mound I think you have to throw that out the window."

Pierre got the Dodgers on the board in the third inning with an RBI double to bring home Angel Berroa, and Martin added a run in the fourth when his two-run base hit plated Kent.

Kent finished off the scoring for the Dodgers in the eighth with an RBI double to score Blake DeWitt.

Reds rookie Johnny Cueto (5-7) was the hard-luck loser, allowing two runs, five hits and three walks in suffering his second straight loss after a three-game winning streak.

"It's exactly what we wanted to see out of Johnny but we didn't get any runs," Reds manager Dusty Baker said.