Billingsley Learns His Lessons

If a lightbulb indeed went on in Chad Billingsley’s head recently, it most certainly was fluorescent, not incandescent.

Ten weeks into what the Dodgers believe will be a lengthy major league career, the hard-throwing right-hander suddenly appreciates efficiency.

He walked only one in seven tidy innings of a 6-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday at Chase Field, reducing pressure on an overused bullpen and enabling the Dodgers to stretch their lead in the National League West to two games.

Billingsley was as economical as a coupon-clipper, needing only 92 pitches -- the fewest he has thrown in any start since July 2 and his second-lowest total since coming up from triple-A in mid-June. He struck out only one and gave up nine hits and two runs but was helped by three double plays and his ability to make quick corrections.

“When he would miss in the same spot once or twice, he’d adjust by staying on top of the rubber longer and letting his arm catch up with his body,” catcher Russell Martin said.

“That’s maturity.”

Billingsley was guilty of overthrowing at the first sign of trouble in earlier starts, and he is averaging nearly six walks per nine innings. Yet he has the lowest earned-run average among Dodgers starters at 3.14, and the rotation includes a certain Hall of Famer, a World Series star and the guy who started the All-Star game.

And he has the lowest ERA among NL starters since the All-Star break at 1.87. That’s an indication his stuff is electric.

“I’m learning to induce contact early in the count,” he said. “Before, I wasn’t trusting myself. I was giving the hitters too much credit.

“The bullpen was tired from that 15-inning game [Friday] and from Saturday. It was important that I got into the late innings.”

It was just as important for the Dodgers (68-62) to generate offense, and they did so in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, enabling Billingsley to leave with a 6-2 lead.

A two-run triple by Rafael Furcal with two out in the fifth put the Dodgers ahead, 2-1, and Furcal scored on Kenny Lofton’s single. The Diamondbacks scored a run in the bottom of the fifth, but Wilson Betemit’s two-run home run in the sixth extended the Dodgers’ lead to 5-2 and another run was tacked on in the seventh when Jeff Kent doubled home J.D. Drew.

The Dodgers are 18-7 in August, two victories short of the team’s Los Angeles record for the month with three games to go at home against the Cincinnati Reds before the calendar flips to September.

The Reds’ starting pitchers today and Tuesday are left-handers, meaning Dodgers Manager Grady Little will give the left-handed-hitting Drew and Lofton each a day off and Jason Repko will be in the lineup. Julio Lugo will play third base in place of Betemit in at least one of the games.

Lugo, who has repeatedly expressed frustration at not playing every day, batted third and played second base, where he was in the middle of double plays in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Kent moved from second to first and Nomar Garciaparra was given the day off.

“Those double plays were the difference,” Little said. “Some were very tough, and they came at good points in the game.”

The Diamondbacks (63-67) had at least one baserunner in every inning but the second and three times had consecutive hits against Billingsley (5-3). But rather than exacerbate the situation with a walk, he threw strikes, relying heavily on a cut fastball.

“Chad wasn’t in that K-mode,” Little said. “He knows he has a good defense behind him. The tempo of the game was good. He kept the fielders on their toes, and those double plays were the difference.”

Victories the last two days salvaged a three-city trip marred by being swept by the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers sandwiched that series by winning two of three against the San Francisco Giants and Diamondbacks to go 4-5.

Now they come home, where they are 39-26. Most heartening to Little was bouncing back from the 15-inning loss with two victories. Earlier in the season, the Dodgers lost three in a row after a 17-inning loss to the Oakland Athletics and four in a row after a 14-inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

“We haven’t had success bouncing back from long, long games,” Little said. “So I’m very pleased with the way things turned out.”

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NL West race

*--* West W L Pct. G B L10 DODGERS 68 62 523 -- 4-6 San Diego 66 64 508 2 6-4 San Francisco 65 66 496 3 1/2 7-3 Arizona 63 67 485 5 2-8 Colorado 61 69 469 7 3-7

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*--* VS. CINCINNATI * Tonight, 7, FSN Prime Ticket Brad Penny (13-7, 3.95) vs. Chris Michalak (1-1, 4.76) * Tuesday, 7 p.m., FSN Prime Ticket Mark Hendrickson (1-6, 4.79) vs. Eric Milton (8-7, 5.22) * Wednesday, 7 p.m., Channel 9 Greg Maddux (11-11, 4.25) vs. Aaron Harang (13-9, 3.67)

*--*

*--* VS. COLORADO * Friday, 7:30 p.m., FSN Prime Ticket * Saturday, 7 p.m., Channel 9 * Sunday, 1 p.m., FSN Prime Ticket

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