Chad Billingsley throws shutout, Casey Blake drives in the runs as Dodgers end six-game skid, 2-0
So calm, so routine, so very much unlike the game 24 hours earlier.
Also for the Dodgers, a very different ending. The foreign kind they hadn’t seen in more than a week.
Chad Billingsley, coming off his worst outing of the season, pitched his first shutout in two years and Casey Blake provided all the offense as the Dodgers slipped by the Giants, 2-0, Wednesday night to snap a six-game losing streak.
This time there were no bean balls, no ejections, not a single faux pas from manager or umpire. Not a whiff of controversy.
Billingsley’s last complete game was his last shutout, the only other one of his career, coming June 30, 2008. It was the Dodgers’ first complete game since Eric Stults threw one May 9, 2009.
With a depleted bullpen, Billingsley’s five-hit shutout was not only impressive, but badly needed.
With Don Mattingly acting as the Dodgers manager after Joe Torre was suspended for the game for Tuesday’s ejection, things went quickly and without incident.
The Giants had won 11 of their last 13 games to surge into second in the National League West. And they had Barry Zito keeping the Dodgers in check all night, save for a solo home run by Blake.
Blake drilled his 10th home run of the season into the left-field seats between the foul pole and the Dodgers bullpen in the second inning.
After all the histrionics in Tuesday’s wild affair, it hardly seemed to have the makings of a decisive hit.
But from then on, Billingsley and Zito were locked in.
Billingsley (8-5) was coming off a horrendous start Friday in St. Louis, allowing seven runs and 10 hits in just four-plus innings without a strikeout.
Wednesday, however, he was in complete command. He allowed only five hits and two walks. He struck out three.
The Giants had runners in scoring position in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but each time Billingsley came up with a big pitch to protect his narrow lead.
The Dodgers scraped together a second run off Zito in the eighth. Rafael Furcal singled and was sacrificed to second by Jamey Carroll. After walking Andre Ethier,Zito was relieved by Sergio Romo.
Romo gave up a run-scoring single to Blake.
Zito (8-5) had thrown eight shut-out innings in his last start against the Mets. Wednesday he went 7 1/3 innings, allowing the two runs on six hits and three walks, with four strikeouts.
-- Steve Dilbeck
Also for the Dodgers, a very different ending. The foreign kind they hadn’t seen in more than a week.
Chad Billingsley, coming off his worst outing of the season, pitched his first shutout in two years and Casey Blake provided all the offense as the Dodgers slipped by the Giants, 2-0, Wednesday night to snap a six-game losing streak.
This time there were no bean balls, no ejections, not a single faux pas from manager or umpire. Not a whiff of controversy.
Billingsley’s last complete game was his last shutout, the only other one of his career, coming June 30, 2008. It was the Dodgers’ first complete game since Eric Stults threw one May 9, 2009.
With a depleted bullpen, Billingsley’s five-hit shutout was not only impressive, but badly needed.
With Don Mattingly acting as the Dodgers manager after Joe Torre was suspended for the game for Tuesday’s ejection, things went quickly and without incident.
The Giants had won 11 of their last 13 games to surge into second in the National League West. And they had Barry Zito keeping the Dodgers in check all night, save for a solo home run by Blake.
Blake drilled his 10th home run of the season into the left-field seats between the foul pole and the Dodgers bullpen in the second inning.
After all the histrionics in Tuesday’s wild affair, it hardly seemed to have the makings of a decisive hit.
But from then on, Billingsley and Zito were locked in.
Billingsley (8-5) was coming off a horrendous start Friday in St. Louis, allowing seven runs and 10 hits in just four-plus innings without a strikeout.
Wednesday, however, he was in complete command. He allowed only five hits and two walks. He struck out three.
The Giants had runners in scoring position in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but each time Billingsley came up with a big pitch to protect his narrow lead.
The Dodgers scraped together a second run off Zito in the eighth. Rafael Furcal singled and was sacrificed to second by Jamey Carroll. After walking Andre Ethier,Zito was relieved by Sergio Romo.
Romo gave up a run-scoring single to Blake.
Zito (8-5) had thrown eight shut-out innings in his last start against the Mets. Wednesday he went 7 1/3 innings, allowing the two runs on six hits and three walks, with four strikeouts.
-- Steve Dilbeck
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Feel free to comment and start a healthy debate!
Posted by: Bharath Venkat | 07/21/2010 at 11:36 PM
All this talk about hitting batters is a concern to some people but I am more concerned about the bats being used today. Billingsley came this close last night to getting hit by a splintered bat. It is an accident waiting to happen when one of those missiles injures, or worst, a player or someone in the stands. Getting hit by a batted ball while in the stands goes with the game and you can't outlaw a baseball. Flying projectiles happens in every game.
Posted by: Stan | 07/22/2010 at 06:09 AM
Say what they will about Mattingly, but he used the bullpen prudently, last night.
Posted by: Zen | 07/22/2010 at 06:54 AM
amazing discovery from last eve's gem: that is, donnie beezball certainly NOT qualified 2b neXt mgr., nor ought he be hitting coach, butt ought 2b team's "pitching coach", as bilz FINALLY pitches a gem, after 2yrs of mediocrity.....
if donnie-beeezball can work this kinda magic, look-out!!!!
Posted by: pitchingandbitching | 07/22/2010 at 08:22 AM
What, no comments? Billingsley didn't waddle or pitch like a wuss last night. This is the way he's supposed to pitch. Obviously, we don't need a complete game shutout every outing, but we do need someone who is able to pitch up to his potential. I've never questioned his ability, just his head and guts. I hope this win helps both. I hope it's a big as it looked.
Posted by: Since '58 | 07/22/2010 at 09:34 AM
Congrats to Bills on a beaut. Obvious lesson: let starters doing well finish their game. It worked for a century in baseball before the big salaries, nervous nelly GMs, and soft pitchers. It will especially work for a team with an unreliable closer. Kershaw could have finished his game two nights ago if he hadn't been expelled (what hurt him was a dropped fly). If Bills can do another in succession under pressure, take him off the trade block. He's good.
Get Dan Haren. Trade Broxton if you need to, or 2-3 prospects. But get him. Oswalt maybe, too, but he's 33 and Haren is 30 and a SoCal native. With a great WHIP (1.19).
Posted by: BlueOrf | 07/22/2010 at 09:57 AM
Congrats, Bills. Get Dan Haren. Get him now. Give up Broxton and let's get down to it. We are a club in need of a jolt.
Posted by: BlueOrf | 07/22/2010 at 01:10 PM
OK I was wrong I said against the nl west billingsley would look like Drydale, broxton would look like Mariano( that is where i am wrong} He still pitches like broxton. Boycott the games and maybe Franky will sell.
Posted by: Jim McVeigh | 07/22/2010 at 06:57 PM