Five Run Lead Not Enough for Chad Billingsley in Dodger’s Fourth Straight Loss

If I were to tell you that the Dodgers scored five runs in the first two innings, and were up 5-0, you would probably think they would have won right? Then if I told you that Chad Billingsley was pitching against the Angels, you would then nod your head and say oh well nevermind!

This is because Billingsley continues to be infuriatingly bad. Bills couldn’t hold a five run lead, serving up six runs to the Angels, and taking the loss. Of course the Angels starter Dan Haren, didn’t fare any better, but Bills was just a little bit worse, and the Dodgers lost their fourth in a row 8-5 to the Halos.

Bills could only last five innings, allowing six runs on ten hits, one walk and five whiffs. He deserved to lose for this stupidity. Haren only lasted five innings as well, almost matching Bills crappy pitch for crappy pitch. He served up five runs on nine hits, but gets the win because Bills was so bad.

The game started out very good. It was almost surreal. Haren was struggling mightily, and the Dodgers scored three runs in the first, and two in the top of the second. Then in typical 2012 fashion, they completely shut down on offense the rest of the game. If Bills wasn’t so bad, they would have won this game easily. The Angels would add two more runs of off Jamey Wright to put the game away for good.

In the top of the first, Jerry Hairston, and Andre Ethier single. Bobby Abreu, the former Halo, steps into the box amidst a chorus of boos. Bobby Blue shuts those annoying Angel fans up, with a monster three run home run to right, that lands halfway up the bleachers. The entire Anaheim crowd falls silent, as Bobby Blue rounds the bases. It was truly a priceless moment. Juan Rivera pops out. Haren continues to struggle. He walks James Loney, and the other former Halo, Adam Kenendy. The Angels have a meeting on the mound to try and fix whatever is wrong with Dan Haren. Finally A.J. Ellis pops out to end the frame. The Dodgers lead though 3-0.

Bills was able to get through the bottom of the first without scorage. Bills was able to get Albert Pujols to ground into an inning ending double play. Then Bills started throwing his awful cutter. That’s when he started serving up runs.

The Dodgers add two more runs off of a struggling Haren. Tony Gwynn walks, and steals second. Hairston singles to score Gwynn. Ethier singles off of Pujols’s glove to score Jhair. After Abreu whiffs, Juan Rivera, another former Angel, scores Ethier on a ground ball single to left. 5-0 Dodgers. It didn’t last long.

Bottom of the second. The Angels would score three runs, when Bills started throwing his crappy ass cutter. The hits started coming. Kendrys Morales singles. Mark Trumbo singles off of Hairston’s diving glove. Alberto Callaspo doubles home Morales, and sends Trumbo to third. After a coaching visit to the mound, Bills keeps on throwing that cutter. Because hey, when something never works, keep doing it! That is also the Dodger’s philosophy on other things that never work, like bunting.

Howie Kendrick’s sac fly, scores Trumbo to make it 5-2 Dodgers. Erik Aybar’s ground out scores another run to make it 5-3 Dodgers.

The Angels would score three more runs off of an incompetent Bills in the bottom of the fourth. Aybar’s run scoring triple plated one of the runs. The Angels would score another run off of a squeeze bunt off of the bat of Bobby Wilson. Bills tried to shovel pass the ball to AJ, but of course Aybar slid in safe just ahead of the tag from Ellis. The home plate ump called him safe right away, because he is an Angel fan or something. This makes the score 5-4 Dodgers. Of course Mike Trout immediately comes up and launches a two run home run, to put the Angels ahead for good 6-5.

Jamey Wright would come into relieve Bills in the top of the sixth inning, and gave up two more runs to make things even more demoralizing. After the dust settled the Angels were leading 8-5. Not much else to say. Do you really want to read anymore about this crapfest? I think not.

I can’t really come up with a whole lot of positives on the night, other than the offense kind of woke up at least. I think the reason why Bills sucks so much is because of poor pitch selection. He keeps trying to use a defective pitch. In the second and fourth innings, two of the innings the Angels scored their runs, Bills threw nothing but cutters. Why? I have no clue. His cutters just float down and away to right handed batters. But to lefties they sit out in the heart of the plate and get hammered. Until Bills stops using his lousy cutter, he will continue to lose.

Andre Ethier had a great game collecting three hits, and making another amazing leaping catch to rob Kendrick of a home run, and or several more runs from scoring. The good thing is we are almost at the end of June, and Matt Kemp should be coming back soon. I don’t know how much longer we can continue without him. The Dodgers need to find out when he can return ASAP.

I don’t have anything more to say at this point. The Dodgers just can’t beat the Angels. Sure they can win one or two games against them, but winning a series against the awful Angels is pretty much impossible. Thank god only two more interleague games left and then no more until next year.

Of course to no surprise, the Giants beat Oakland, to move to within three games of the Dodgers. I expected that outcome since the Giants literally own Oakland over the years. Join us tomorrow for another suckfest in Anaheim. Chris Capuano tales the mound for the Dodgers, to try and stop the downward spiral, and grab his ninth win. The Angels will counter with Ervin Santana at 415PM. We’ll see you tomorrow guys. Go to hell Angels.