Chad Billingsley's meltdown against Reds has to have Dodgers concerned

You can open your eyes now.

The continued shrinking of Chad Billingsley continued Tuesday in Cincinnati, though this one was a new low.

Billingsley’s troubled second half last season is looking like good stuff right now. He was as bad as he’s ever been against the Reds, at a time he really needed to make a statement.

Other than, he feels completely lost.

The Dodgers scored three times in the top of the first to give him a quick lead. Billingsley retired the Reds in order in the bottom of the inning, and his night had peaked.

Watching him melt in the second inning was tough. His fastball might as well have been on a tee.

The Reds opened their half of the inning with five consecutive hits, all of them of rockets. Line drive after line drive.

Somewhere in here, Billingsley just might have wanted to brush somebody back and prevent the Reds from sitting on the fastball.

Chin music, however, has never appeared part of his arsenal. It was one of the things he was criticized for in the 2008 NLCS against the Phillies.

There was none again this time, and he just seemed to grow more rattled. When Reds' pitcher Homer Bailey put a sacrifice bunt down, Billingsley scooped up the ball and sailed it over the head of Blake DeWitt for an error.

Billingsley was gone after three cover-the-eyes innings, having allowed seven runs (three earned) on seven hits.

His earned-run average is now swollen to 7.07 and club concern has to be growing. The rotation was on the shaky side to begin with, and it now their All-Star starter from last season continues to shrink.

--Steve Dilbeck

Comments

[Number One Dodger Fan]

Is a Cole Hamels for Billingsley trade possible? I think they would both benefit from a change of scenery.

[mti312]

I always suspected Bills of hiding his injury last season. I still suspect that. It's funny how he seem to be going on a downward spiral. He started losing his stuff late in innings. It went from 7th to 6th to 5th. Then he couldnt get past the 5th inning and now? 2 innings! He was assigned to the bullpen during the playoffs for a reason. They should have traded him while he had value last season. Now the Dodgers are down to Kershaw/Kuroda/Padilla.
Whatever happened to James McDonald? Did the Dodgers give up on him too? Remember Edwin Jackson?
What's up with giving up on the wrong players and staying with Billingsley?

[hashpipe]

Billingsley is dead to me.

[paul]

Spot on, except that if he tried a brushback pitch, he'd probably miss on the location and throw behind the batter for a wild pitch. He still has velocity and break on his curve, but he has absolutely no command at this point. Right now the Dodgers look like an also-ran from the AL... plenty of offense, but no reliability from the pitching staff. Usually leads to a .500 record.

[Don Capasso]

Does anyone share my feeling that maybe the Dodgers should take a hard look at Rick Honeycutt. Both Kershaw and Billingsly Have had problems with there mechanics.What help has HoneycuttBeen??

[Hawaiian Husky]

I can remember when Sandy Koufax was the same way early in his career. Wilder than a March hare until after about 3 or 4 years he suddenly found it. Don't be so quick to kick Bills to the curb. (talk to him, Sandy)

[hal hefner]

Don Capasso - I agree. I have never been sold on him as a pitching coach. I think that job should have been Orel Hershiser's. I think the Dodgers need to do something fast. Maybe it's Honeycutt and a new pitching philosphy. Is Leo Mazone still out there????

But Bills looks bad. Maybe a trip back to the bullpen or AAA will do him some good. It's a darn shame. But I blame it all on Frank McCourt. If he let Ned Colletti spend some money and upgrade this pitching staff this offseason things would be different.

Can the Dodgers divorce the McCourt's?

[bigunit]

billingsley is a complete joke, & has been for quite some time, ever since his horrible post-season 2 yrs ago.....
the first half of last year (when he made all star team) was a complete fluke, & he'll neva pitch anywhere near that well again..........he may have a future as a quality closer in the bullpen, as his stuff seems fairly good for abt an inning, so converting him to closer role may be best option, similar to eric gagne' several yrs ago (he too began his career as a starting pitcher).....dodgers may have to gamble & trade all star closer broxton for a quality starter, & then designate chad as their closer???....
certainly, a HUGE gamble here, but they have few viable options????

[Jim McVeigh]

This is the guy that was too good and had too much upside to include in a package trade for Halliday(sic) or lee. As the scholar from SC says who cares, well craig Frank heard you and he don`t care! just go on making excuses for Frank

[west coast ram]

This may sound off base but I put much of Bilz and Kershaws problems on Martin. I think he calls a marginal game at best. He needs to fire up the pitchers. I agree with other posters and move him to the bullpen for a while. The message should be that you earn your spot.

[88]

bills problem is he's mental. he lacks mental tuffness ... listen to him talk he sounds scared all the time, voice cracking now and then. when the pressure mounts he folds.

[dodgersfan]

I knew the Dodgers should have traded Billingsley for Roy Halladay during the trading deadline last season. It doesn't really matter had the Dodgers been able to trade for Halladay because Mr. McCourt can't afford to get him anyway. Billingsley will never be the ace that everyone thought he would become. It's frustrating because he has the stuff to be an ace.

[Hollywood Dodger Mark]

Bills has to be unconditionally released at this point. Then he will be picked up by the Cards and straightened out by Dave Duncan. At that point we will learn that he was simply tipping his pitches.

[FelixB]

Billingsley has reliever written all over him. I compare him to the Superman ride down in San Dimas. It takes off quickly and is a joy to experience, but just as fast is it launches, so does it return back and you exit stage left wondering why you waited so long for such a short stint of pleasure. Now, I know there has to be a guy out there that can fill in as a 5th starter and can maintain a 3.5 ERA through 5+ innings every start. Moving Bills to the pen would only make that pen stronger and would spell Weaver from his overwhelmed tasks at long relief. Ortiz has to go, and Link really needs to be considered, especially with his minor league credentials.

[bob cuomo]

I'm at a loss for words. I don't know where to start. It's tough. In a way, I feel bad for Billingsley. I really think a big part of it is mental (besides not being able to spot his pitches)...he simply can't handle the pressure. His quote, " I feel completely lost" sort of tells it all.

[Ronnie]

Stop blaming Honeycutt, Martin, and anyone else for Billingsley's problems. The only one to blame is Billingsley himself. He doesn't have the courage to pitch inside and until he finds that courage, he will continue to struggle. Watching tonight's game was all the evidence you need to see that his problems are not mechanical but purely mental. Not once did Billingsley pitch inside. He gave up 6 runs and not one inside pitch to brush back the hitters who were obviously not afraid of getting hit. Then to top it all off in the 3rd inning, Manny has to duck under an inside pitch, but does Billingsley do anything about it? You knew he wouldn't. Last week, Matt Kemp was brushed back by the Giants and the next inning Vincente Padilla hit Aaron Rowand in the head. Not only has Billingsley lost the respect of Dodger fans, he's probably lost the respect of his teammates because he refuses to have their back. It's time Ned Coletti finds him a new home.

[Bobby]

So, Ramirez continues to state he is 'gone' by the end of the season?
Yah ?? Good !! Good riddance, and take the hairdo with you........Freak !

[JS]

Send him down to the minors!!!!!!!!!! How many chances does he get??? The guy just doesn't have it anymore and he needs to be sent down. He has not been a big league pitcher since the all star break last year. Its sad that such a talent can be so far gone but the guy has lost it and doesn't look like he is getting it back anytime soon. To bad our fantastic owner and all world GM couldn't pull the trigger last year and trade the guy for some with some guts.

[Humbi]

How sad that the Dodgers have such a great offense and are constantly being let down by their pitching. How many times does a team that scores 7, 8, 9 or more runs lose? Answer: Quite a lot for the Dodgers this year it seems already. The blame is not on Honeycutt, Torre, Martin or anyone else except for Frank McFraud. If we had added even one premier starter and another solid arm in the bullpen, this season would of started so much better. I hope this is not what we have to look forward to all season. Frank, shell out some money and if you cant, sell the team to someone with deeper pockets.

[XJT]

I'm getting burned out on the folks who wag their fingers and admonish us to let Chad "pitch through it." His performance has been unacceptable for too long now. I have to wonder how these morally superior types perform on their own jobs, since they display such strange loyalty to someone who has been dragging the team down for so long. (Yeah, Molly, I'm looking at you).

Which is more important, Chad Billingley's Dodger career or winning?

[Steve Dilbeck]

Bob: That ``I feel completely loss wasnt actually a quote from Billingsley, but a statement I felt came via his performance.

[Julian]

drop ortiz, move bills to the pen, and bring up elbert or mcdonald and let them compete for a starting position. at this point haeger may have to go as well.

[Steve Fuhrmann]

I think the pitching problems might be with the coaching staff. It just seems that these kids get up to the bigs have a good year, then fall apart. Kershaw is all over the place, and Chad is not even a shell of his old self. What would be the chances of bringing Greg Maddax in as a pitching coach or consultant. It just seem when he was around the young guns feed off of his knowledge.

[Steve M.]

Steve Dilbeck,

Yea, I was confused too by the "I feel completely lost" in quote marks. Please edit the post itself. Now people are going to spread the rumor that Bills said it.