The Return of Chad Billingsley and The Pursuit of Vicente Padilla

Billingsley showed up big time for the Dodgers. After a dis-heartening series against the DBacks, and losing the opener to the hot Cards, there was anxiety. Chad missed his last start due to his shaky hamstring, and those things don’t go away easy. He showed up last night, he pitched well, and the Dodgers hitters took advantage of a shaky outing by Mitchell Boggs and evened up the series.
Andre Ethier went three-for four with a double, triple, and an RBI, O Dog also went 3 for 4 and Russell Martin had two doubles to help the Dodgers cause. The real hero was Billingsley, who gave up only two runs and three hits in six innings, which was a good indication that he’s back and will hold his place in the rotation. It is even better news since the Dodgers are pondering putting Hiroki Kuroda on the DL.
It won’t get easier tonight. Adam Wainwright goes for his 15th win against Clayton Kershaw in what will be another gut check game against the Cardinals. How the Dodgers and their young starters do in these big games will go a long way in helping determine how they do in October. That was a big start by Billingsley last night for a team that needs them.
According to ESPN, the Dodgers are “pursuing” Vicente Padilla. With Kuroda probably going on the DL, it leaves the Dodgers with only three full-time starters. They need to get someone, with John Smoltz signing with the Cardinals today; it leaves Padilla, who won fourteen games for the Rangers last year. For a fourth starter, they could do a helluva lot worse. They say that he’s a problem in the clubhouse, but at this point, he is worth a shot.