Billingsley is on target for Dodgers

Chad Billingsley at last found the rhythm that had eluded him in his previous starts, revealing what Dodgers Manager Grady Little said he “knew was there.”

Billingsley was dealing in the Dodgers’ 5-0 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday at Dodger Stadium, retiring the last 16 batters he faced in seven near-flawless innings. He threw only 88 pitches, tied a career best by striking out nine and didn’t issue a walk for the first time in 19 big league starts.

“He’s been waiting for this day, and now is the time,” Little said.

Giving up only three hits in the final contest of a three-game series, Billingsley (5-0) halted the Dodgers’ five-game losing streak to the first-place Padres and closed the gap in the National League West to one game.

“Any time you lose two games to the Padres or any team in your division, you can’t let them take that third one,” catcher Russell Martin said. “You have to give credit to Chad Billingsley. He was aggressive, threw a lot of strikes and seemed to have command of all of his pitches.”

That was something the 22-year-old right-hander had trouble doing in his last two outings. He was 4-0 with a 3.09 earned-run average in 23 games out of the bullpen but gave up two runs in 3 2/3 innings in his first start of the season on June 21, an eventual 8-4 win over Toronto. He was hit hard five days later, giving up five runs in four innings at Arizona, another game the Dodgers came back to win.

“I was overdoing it a little bit,” Billingsley said. “I knew I could pitch well. I had to get settled in and get back into the groove.”

Little said he saw a different Billingsley on Sunday, this one a pitcher with command who “didn’t get outside of himself.”

“It’s good to get that one behind him,” Little said. “Right now, he’s reached the point where he’ll have no limitations from here on and we look forward to him pitching every five days.”

The Dodgers’ offense also showed promise, particularly in the way in which it manufactured three runs in a four-hit third inning. Rafael Furcal singled to center with two out to drive in Matt Kemp, then stole second. Furcal scored on a single by Juan Pierre, who also stole second and scored on a hit by Martin.

The steals raised the Dodgers’ total in the series against the Padres to 10, with Pierre swiping five bases to put his season total at 31. The single by Martin extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

“We seem to have turned around in our total approach at the plate,” Little said. “We’re seeing more pitches and are getting better pitches to hit.”

The Dodgers increased their lead on solo home runs by Kemp in the fourth and Furcal in the seventh. Kemp, who was two for four, is batting .400 (26 for 65) and has hit .392 (20 for 51) since being recalled from triple-A Las Vegas on June 8.

The Dodgers’ five runs were all charged to Justin Germano, who yielded eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. Germano (5-2) entered the game with a 3-0 record and 1.80 ERA on the road.

That run production would be welcomed by Derek Lowe, who will start for the Dodgers tonight in the opening game of a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves.

Lowe has a 3.03 ERA but is only 8-7, in part because the Dodgers have combined to score eight runs in the games he has lost.

dylan.hernandez@latimes.com