Dodgers find the right mix to beat Phillies

Andre Ethier may have struck a big blow in the Dodgers’ 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday afternoon, but he’s not about to get a big head. Not about to demand a bigger chunk of playing time.

“It’s a big stew,” he said, referring to the Dodgers’ roster, “and we’re trying to get the best recipe we can.”

It starts with the meat and potatoes: a solid catcher, an array of good young hitters, proficiency at the top of the pitching rotation, speed at the top of the lineup and a lights-out closer. It’s seasoned with veterans and cooked in the heat of a pennant race.

And so far, it has been a recipe for success.

Wednesday’s game at Dodger Stadium required many of those ingredients for the Dodgers to eke out a victory and maintain their hold on the top spot in the National League West.

They got a gritty five innings out of starter Chad Billingsley, admittedly at less than his best in a 113-pitch performance, a three-run home run from Ethier, a game-winning homer in the sixth from Luis Gonzalez and one-hit relief over the final four innings from four relievers, culminating in Takashi Saito’s 25th save.

All this 13 hours after getting blasted by the Phillies, 15-3, Tuesday night in a game in which the Dodgers surrendered 26 hits to tie the Los Angeles franchise record.

“You’d better be ready to turn the page,” Dodgers Manager Grady Little said.

Billingsley, seeking to improve his record to 7-0 in his first full season in the majors, knew he was going to struggle before he completed his warmup tosses.

“I couldn’t get the right release point on my fastball,” he said. “I didn’t have a good feel for it.”

So he flip-flopped his routine.

“I came with the off-speed pitches first,” he said, “and the fastball later in the count. It’s the opposite of what I normally do.”

The results were mixed at best. Billingsley gave up seven hits and four runs, throwing what he believes is a career-high number of pitches.

Ryan Howard touched him for a second-inning home run, his 25th and third in two games. Also in that inning, Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz sent a run home with what was generously scored as a double, the ball bouncing off the heel of Gonzalez’s glove as he tried to backhand it in deep left field. Aaron Rowand doubled home a run in the third and Pat Burrell singled home a run in the fifth.

But thanks to a first-inning RBI single by Russell Martin and Ethier’s eighth home run of the season, a blast into the seats in right-center in the fourth, Billingsley left the game with the score tied.

Gonzalez untied it with his 11th home run, hitting a 2-and-1 breaking ball from Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick (4-1) into the right-field stands.

Gonzalez, an 18-year veteran, understands his role on this team.

“I want to be in the starting lineup every day, but I’m not going to make waves,” he said. “I want to help these young guys get to the World Series.”

All that was left after Gonzalez’s home run was for the Dodgers to maintain the lead against a team that had left them shell-shocked the night before. That the bullpen did, Rudy Seanez (6-1), Joe Beimel, Jonathan Broxton and Saito each throwing a scoreless inning.

It got tense in the ninth inning after pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs singled with one out. With Michael Bourn, running for Dobbs, attempting to steal, Martin stretched his glove out for a pitchout, but instead, Saito fired a pitch to the other side of the plate, nailing home-plate umpire Mark Wegner on the inner thigh. Bourn, who had already slid into second, advanced no farther. Saito retired Jimmy Rollins on a shallow fly to left and Shane Victorino on a sharply hit comebacker to the mound.

The recipe had worked for yet another day.

steve.springer@latimes.com