Los Angeles Dodgers News & Notes: Bills Shines, Weaver to Start Thursday

Bills Back on the Bump Chad Billingsley threw six innings last night in a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, returning for the first time since straining his left hamstring on Aug. 7 against the Atlanta Braves. "I really didn't know what to expect," Billingsley said. "I had command of my fastball, and I threw that a lot…I mixed in some offspeed, and I was really pleased with how I threw the ball." Bills threw just 77 pitches on the night, his fewest in an outing of six or more innings this season, and he has now gone six-plus innings in 20 of his 25 starts in ’09, proving to be the workhorse of the staff despite reoccurring qualms with his status as an “ace.” Interestingly enough, he struck out just one hitter, after coming into the contest ranked seventh in the NL in strikeouts (143). He also didn’t walk a batter on the night, breaking a habit this season of destroying a solid effort with erratic control, as he had entered t...