Dodgers convinced Chad Billingsley is back to being tough on and off the mound

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It’s Chad Billingsley, competitive animal. Chad Billingsley, beating his chest, screaming to the heavens, ready to take on the world!

Well, maybe not. Still, it’s safe to say Billingsley’s mental toughness is hardly an issue when he’s pitching well. And despite Saturday’s loss, he is pitching very well.

Billingsley entered the month of May with an ERA of 5.06 and a 2-2 record. He looked exactly like the pitcher who went 3-7 with a 5.20 ERA in the second half.

Now, however, he looks a lot like the guy who was an All-Star in the first half. In his last five starts, Billingsley is 3-1 with a 2.59 ERA.

And looking a lot less like the right-hander many feared was wilting and seeming too wounded by his struggles.

‘I think he’s all right now,’ said manager Joe Torre. ‘He still has that self-criticism, but it’s all about the competitive.

‘A pitcher who loses 1-0 and somebody will say, ‘I only gave up one run.’ If you ask him, he’ll say ‘I shouldn’t have given up that one run.’’

Billingsley is such a nice guy and so soft-spoken that he easily can come off as too mild a personality to have true competitive fire. And then there’s his penchant to be hard on himself when he doesn’t perform to his expectations.

Torre is convinced, though, Billingsley is now on the proper track.

‘He’s where he should be to me,’ Torre said. ‘This is the personality I’ve seen from him early on when I came over here.

‘He’d gotten a little tentative and shy during that phase. When it started, I can’t tell you exactly. But he’s back to that guy I trust. I’ll send him out there after 105 pitches.

‘He’s strong as an ox. He’s not wasting a lot of energy out there trying not to have to locate the ball. He’s challenging more guys.’

-- Steve Dilbeck