Anemic Dodger Offense Apparent Again in 8-2 Loss

Dodgers 2 6 1

Reds 8 12 0

WP- Bailey (6-6)

LP- Billingsley (4-8)

HR- Hairston (3)

Before the game the Dodgers made some roster moves. They shifted Ted Lilly to the 60-day DL and optioned Shawn Tolleson to AAA-Albuquerque. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers called up infielder Luis Cruz from AAA. Dee Gordon has reportedly felt “cramps” in his leg since Sunday, and he will be getting some rest. Juan Uribe was pulled from the game early with a right ankle sprain, and he is day-to-day. Chad Billingsley pitched well until the sixth inning where he allowed 3 runs and gave up the lead to Cincinnati. It didn’t matter much, since the Dodger offense only managed two runs in the first and second inning, and were completely shut down thereafter.

Zack Cozart opens the game against Chad Billingsley with a single. Bills comes back and strikes out Drew Stubbs and Brandon Phillips. Jay Bruce grounds out to end the inning.

Homer Bailey starts off the bottom of the first against the Dodgers by striking out Elian Herrera. A.J.

Ellis, who is batting second for the second game in a row, grounds out. Jerry Hairston Jr. blasts a solo homerun to left field, and the Dodgers take a 1-0 lead! That’s Hairston’s third homer of the year, and the first Dodger dinger in 345 plate appearances.

Todd Frazier strikes out on a Chad Billingsley cutter to begin the second inning. Chris Heisey grounds out, and Miguel Cairo strikes out. Bills has retired six Reds in a row.

James Loney opens the bottom of the second with a line drive single to center. Juan Uribe walks. Scott Van Slyke singles to right field, but Juan Uribe is hung out to dry at second for a big TOOTBLAN. Luis Cruz’s sacrifice fly ball allows Loney to score as he just avoids the tag at the plate, 2-0 Dodgers.

Chad Billingsley rolls along in the third, and he picks up his fifth strikeout as he sends the opposing pitcher back to the dugout bat in hand. Cozart singles, but Bills comes back to strike out Stubbs.

The Dodgers go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the third.

Jay Bruce singles with one out in the top of the fourth. Chris Heisey singles off a chopper to third which is deflected off Uribe’s glove as he reaches up for it. With Cairo at the plate and two outs, the runners move to second and third on a passed ball by A.J. Ellis. Cabrera is struck out and fooled on a slow 78-mph Billingsley curve, and the Reds strand two runners.

Rivera, Loney, and Uribe go down in order for the Dodger half of the fourth.

Devin Mesoraco becomes Billingsley’s eighth strike out victim at the top of the fifth inning. With two outs Zack Cozart is hit in the helmet with a 89-mph fastball, and he has to come out of the game as a precaution. It looked scary, but he was able to leave the field under his own legs. Later in the game we found out Cozart suffered a mild concussion. Stubbs grounds out to end the frame.

Chad Billingsley picks up his seventh hit of the season with a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth. The rest of the gang can’t do much else in the inning.

Chad Billingsley’s scoreless start is broken up in the sixth as a typical meltdown commences. Brandon Phillips leads of the inning with a lead-off double. Bruce and Frazier follow with back-to-back singles, and Phillips plates a run for the Reds. The Dodger lead is now cut to 2-1. Rick Honeycutt goes out to the mound to talk to Bills. The runners advance to second and third on a slow roller to third by Heisey. Cairo reaches on a fielder’s choice as Bruce is thrown out at home by Adam Kennedy who is now playing at third. Billingsley hangs a slow breaking ball on a 3-2 count to Mesoraco who promptly hits it over Kennedy’s head down the line for a two-run double. The Reds take a 3-2 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, A.J. Ellis strikes out for the second time tonight. JHair also whiffs, and Rivera flies out as the Dodgers go down quietly in order.

Josh Lindblom comes in to pitch the seventh in relief of Chad Billingsley. Lindblom pitches a nice inning as he sends the Reds down in order.

Chad Billingsley pitched 6 innings, allowing 8 hits, 3 runs, no walks, and 8 strikeouts on 97 pitches.

James Loney singles to lead-off the bottom of the seventh on a groundball to short. Adam Kennedy’s sac bunt moves Loney to second. Van Slyke flies out. Tony Gwynn Jr. comes into pinch run for Loney. Luis Cruz hits the ball hard to right field, and it looks like a sure thing extra-base hit. Jay Bruce makes a spectacular game-saving catch to rob Cruz of a base hit as the Dodgers leave the inning empty handed.

Todd Coffey is in for the eighth and more Cincinnati runs come forth. He hits Bruce with a pitch, then there’s the obligatory wild pitch. Frazier then triples to right, and Bruce scores the Reds’ fourth run of the night. Coffey is shaken up on the play, and the trainers come out to check on him. Remember, the Dodgers only have a six-man bullpen right now. The first out finally comes on a Heisley whiff. Cairo also strikes out on a bad ball for out number two. Mesoraco singles with two out, and another run is plated for the Reds, 5-2. Mattingly has seen enough, and he goes to Jamey Wright to get the last out which he does.

Dee Gordon is now in the game, and he leads off the bottom of the eighth against Homer Bailey. Gordon flies out. Herrera strikes out. Ellis strikes out for the third time.

Jamey Wright will pitch the ninth inning, and he walks the lead-off batter Wilson Valdez. Stubbs bunts, and Jamey Wright draws an error as he throws wide to the diving Gordon. The ball goes into center field, and the runners end up at second and third. Phillips grounds out to third. Bruce is intentionally walked to load the bases up with two outs. Frazier bloops a single to center, and a run scores. Another run scores on a groundout by Heisley. ANOTHER run scores on a single to right from Cairo, 8-2.

Homer Bailey pitched 8 innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, and 7 strikeouts on 115 pitches.

Aroldis Chapman, lefty, comes in to slam the door on the Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth. Hairston strikes out against the hard-throwing, somersaulting southpaw. Rivera singles up the middle on 101 mph fastball. Gwynn strikes out. Adam Kennedy grounds out, and that’s that.

The Dodgers now fall to 43-37. The Giants were idle tonight, so they  are now 1 1/2 games back of San Francisco in the standings. Chad Billingsley has now dropped four games in a row.

Game two will start at 7:10 pm tomorrow evening as Chris Capuano and Johnny “kickin'” Cueto go head-to-head. Tomorrow will also be Matt Kemp‘s first rehabilitation game in Rancho Cucamonga. Kemp will be the DH tomorrow for the Quakes. Is it the 13th yet?