Chad Billingsley's start certainly didn't end the way anybody wanted, but unlike some who want to use this performance as further evidence that he's unreliable, I find it extremely hard to take away anything negative from this showing.The Nationals are a solid offensive team, and the fact remains that Billingsley absolutely dominated them. Was it perfect? Of course not. I was as frustrated as anybody that he couldn't locate some of his pitches, and it was totally his fault that the homer he surrendered was of the 3-run variety. However, any criticism leveled at him for allowing 5 baserunners and striking out 9 batters over 6 innings borders on delusion.
It's probably true that I show more confidence in our young stars than most would at this point, but then again, they've never given me much reason to doubt them either. I'm defending his ability for the same reason I defended Jonathan Broxton's, Matt Kemp's, Andre Ethier's and many others.
Going forward, it's imperative for his playoff rotation chances to build on this performance, especially with Joe Torre doing the decision making. Nobody expects him to allow less hits than today, but it's reasonable to expect better location and consistency.
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One clear negative of the day was the earned run that George Sherrill gave up, but not for anything Sherrill did. He pitched excellent as usual, but the defense looked like something out of Little League, as Matt Kemp and Manny Ramirez miscommunicated on a routine flyball, and Orlando Hudson blew a double play ball with a poor throw. Terrible.
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Speaking of Hudson, if he's seriously hurt, that pretty much eliminates the competition for the second baseman's job. If that turns out to be the case, I feel extremely bad for him, because he was likely on his way to a solid payday in the off-season, and the fact remains that he has been a solid contributor to the Dodgers in 2009.
Original Story:
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