This time Dodgers fall a rally short in 5-4 loss to White Sox

Drama and comebacks, the Dodgers have almost spoiled themselves.

It looked as if they were at it again Saturday night, rallying with four runs in the third to tie their game with the White Sox.

But that’s where it ended this time. This time it was the White Sox manufacturing a run without a hit in the fourth and then making the 5-4 lead hold up for the victory before an announced Dodger Stadium crowd of 45,210.

Chad Billingsley, who had allowed only one run in each of his last two starts, struggled against the White Sox.

The right-hander went six innings, allowing five runs (four earned) and eight hits, a walk and one key hit batter.

Billingsley gave up three runs in the second, and single runs in the third and fourth.

The White Sox opened the scoring in the second after Paul Konerko doubled and Alex Rios singled him to third. Rios stole second, allowing a single by Alexei Ramirez to drive in the game’s first two runs.

Right-hander Philip Humber then laced the first hit of his career &8212; a single &8212; to score Ramirez and Chicago was up 3-0.

They pushed it to a 4-0 lead in the third after after singles by Gordon Beckham and Adam Dunn. Catcher A.J. Ellis threw out Beckham trying to steal third, but Alex Rios tripled in Dunn.

Yet, much like they had on Friday, the Dodgers rallied with a big inning. Billingsley started it with the first of his two singles. Basehits by Dee Gordon and Andre Ethier loaded the bases. Jerry Hairston Jr., again batting cleanup, scored the Dodgers’ first run with a sacrifice fly, and then game consecutive run-scoring singles by Bobby Abreu, Ellis and James Loney to tie it.

Billingsley, however, came back out in the fourth and immediately made a mistake, hitting Ramirez with a pitch. Ramirez stole second, and when Hairston dropped Orlando Hudson’s roller for an error, took third.

That allowed Ramirez to score when Alejandro De Aza bounced into a fielder’s choice, and the White Sox had their 5-4 lead.

The Dodgers could never rally back. They had runners on second and third with two outs in the fourth, and Hairston popped up. They had a runner on second with one out in the seventh, and Hairston struck out and Abreu popped up.

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