Billingsley Gives the Dodgers a Boost

All of the teams in the National League West are competitive, and all are flawed. The team that wins the division championship might well be the one that upgrades its roster the most in the next six weeks, before the July 31 trading deadline.

The Dodgers might have upgraded this week, without trading anyone. In his major league debut Thursday, Chad Billingsley wowed teammates and coaches, pitching into the sixth inning of the Dodgers’ 7-3 victory over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

Rafael Furcal singled home the go-ahead run in a four-run seventh inning, ending a two-for-27 skid in the process, and Jeff Kent finished a home run shy of the cycle, but the veterans tipped their caps to Billingsley, the kid with the 96-mph fastball and uncommon poise.

“We need him,” Kent said. “We can use him right now. I think he’ll be a benefit for us, and I think he’ll be around for a long time.”

For the first time this season, the Dodgers started five rookies. A sixth, Jonathan Broxton, recorded the victory. He was the pitcher of record when the Dodgers battered three San Diego relievers for four runs in the seventh, on a single by Furcal, a two-run double by Kent and a sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Olmedo Saenz.

Billingsley took home a game ball, for his hitting. In his first at-bat, he dropped a two-run single into shallow right field.

“I was stoked,” he said.

Grady Little was stoked too, even if the 56-year-old manager might not use that adjective. With Odalis Perez and Jae Seo dismissed from the starting rotation and Aaron Sele and Brett Tomko teetering, the Dodgers are handing the 21-year-old Billingsley a spot for as long as he can hold it.

“We’ve been patient,” Little said. “We’ve looked for the right opportunity to give him a chance. Now is the time. We’re looking forward to seeing him every five days.”

Billingsley’s line was not overly special. He gave up two runs and three hits in 5 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out three in 98 pitches.

The Padres took plenty of pitches and fouled off plenty more. Billingsley made 27 pitches in the first inning, when the Padres did not score, and 27 more in the fifth, when they scored twice, on singles by Rob Bowen and Dave Roberts.

But he did not give in. He mixed in an excellent curveball, but he never nibbled no matter how many fouls a batter hit, sustaining velocity from 93 to 96 mph.

“His composure was abnormal for a kid on his first day in the major leagues,” Little said.

The Padres swung and missed only three times on those 98 pitches, at odds with Billingsley’s reputation as a power pitcher who blows the ball by batters.

“These guys are professional hitters, and they can foul off tough pitches,” Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said. “And, when he had a really well-located pitch, especially with his fastball, they took it. It wasn’t like they centered a lot of pitches. Overall, it was an excellent outing.”

And, catcher Russell Martin said, Billingsley hardly revealed his slider.

“He’s still got more weapons in the arsenal,” Martin said.

The way Billingsley tells it, Martin is one of those weapons. The two have worked together since rookie ball. At triple-A Las Vegas this season, Billingsley had a 2.04 earned-run average before the Dodgers recalled Martin, a 5.80 ERA after.

“I’ve had to call my own game since Russ left,” Billingsley said.

On Thursday, he shook off Martin once.

“He’s a great pitcher,” Martin said, “and he will be for a long time.”