Dodgers’ Andre Ethier earns an ejection

Reporting from Milwaukee — 

After the Dodgers’ Andre Ethier took a called third strike in the sixth inning Thursday against Milwaukee Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo, his frustration didn’t subside after he returned to the dugout.

While James Loney was at bat, Ethier continued to complain to home plate umpire Adrian Johnson, who then tossed Ethier from the game — Ethier’s first ejection of the season.

“I thought it was a bad call,” said Ethier, who then trotted back out on the field at Miller Park to further complain to Johnson until Manager Joe Torre intercepted him.

“The pitch was repeated with the next batter — same exact pitch, I thought an even better pitch — and he called it a ball that time,” Ethier said. “So I was asking him from the dugout, ‘Are you sure about that?’ He didn’t like it too much, and neither did I.”

Torre said Ethier “earned getting thrown out, which is not the right thing to do” for arguably the team’s best hitter. “It will be addressed,” Torre said.

Solid relief

In two consecutive games, relievers Ronald Belisario and George Sherrill were brought in for the sole purpose of retiring Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, respectively, in critical situations — and each time it worked for the Dodgers.

“It feels pretty good, I like those kind of situations with guys on base,” said the right-handed Belisario, adding that he used a tailing two-seam fastball to strike out Braun with the bases loaded in the fifth inning Thursday. “That’s what I was thinking when I came in, just hold them.”

With Braun making the second out, it was up to the left-handed Sherrill to retire Fielder, and he got Fielder to bounce into a force play to end the inning.

“That was a situation where it could been game [over], if they blow it open right there,” Sherrill said.

Broxton’s role

After Jonathan Broxton pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning against the Brewers on Wednesday night, Torre was asked Thursday whether that meant the burly right-hander was ready to resume his role as the Dodgers’ closer.

“I don’t think I can make a plan right now,” Torre replied. “His being our closer isn’t as important as our needing to win games.”

After earning a save in this year’s All-Star game for the National League, Broxton struggled and Torre temporarily replaced him as the Dodgers’ closer with left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo.

When Broxton entered Wednesday night’s game against the Brewers, he appeared “tentative” at first, but once he “settled in, that was the guy I’m comfortable watching,” Torre said.

“But just to put people in their — quote, unquote— roles as setup man, closer, at this point in time with 30-something games left, that’s not really important,” Torre said. “We’re just trying to win games and try to utilize everybody and do what makes sense.”

Broxton declined to discuss it except to say “I just want to pitch.” Neither Broxton nor Kuo was used in the Dodgers’ 7-1 win over the Brewers on Thursday.

Etc.

Reliever Kenley Jansen walked in his first career plate appearance Thursday. . . . The Dodgers last swept the Brewers in early 2006.

james.peltz@latimes.com