If Chad Billingsley was looking to make a statement to begin the 2012 season, I'd say he did just that. And then some.
Billingsley was untouchable for over eight innings on Friday, as the Dodgers used four RBIs from Andre Ethier to easily down the Padres, 6-0. The Dodgers have now won the first couple of games to start the season.
The tone was emphatically set in the first inning, as the offense went to work and Billingsley struck out the side. Mark Ellis hit a one-out single, and Matt Kemp came a couple feet away from hitting his second homer of the year. Juan Rivera kept the inning going with a single, which led to a long two-run double from Ethier to go up 2-0.
Two more runs were added in the fourth. Once again, it was Ellis who started it all, this time with a one-out double. Kemp then dribbled one to third, which was thrown away by Yonder Alonso, allowing Ellis to score. With Kemp now on third, River continued his hot start with an RBI single, and it as 4-0.
The final runs were scored in the fifth, all thanks to Ethier's great night. With two down, Kemp singled and stole second, and Rivera walked. Ethier creamed a two-run triple to extend the lead even further at 6-0.
As great as the offense was, it was Billingsley who was without a doubt the star of the night. He was given the chance to get a complete game, but was yanked after surrendering a one-out single to Cameron "Tiki" Maybin and 108 pitches. Overall, he lasted 8 1/3 innings for three hits, no runs, one walk, and 11 strikeouts. Jamey Wright got the final two outs in order.
This pretty much goes without saying, but Bills seriously needed a start like this. After dragging his way to a mediocre 2011 where he went 11-11 with a 4.21 ERA and 1.45 WHIP, it looked like he might never become the pitcher he's capable of. It's still very early, but he couldn't have started any better than this.
Realistically, it's not like we can expect this kind of outing every time from Bills. But, if he can FINALLY put together any sort of consistency to match his great stuff, then he can form quite the 1-2 punch with Clayton Kershaw. His next start is scheduled against the Pirates on Wednesday, so he has a great chance to build on this start.
The other story of the night was Ethier, who went 2-for-4 with a double, triple, and four RBIs. The best part was that he did it against lefty Cory Luebke, as Ethier only hit .220 last year against lefties. A performance like this will get him on the field every game, no matter who the pitcher is.
The season has started about as well as anyone could have hoped, for a couple of reasons. One, their pitching has been fantastic, even with only getting three innings out of a sick Kerhaw Opening Day. Two, they're playing the Padres! Seriously, they look like a Triple-A team at best. They may have some young talent, but they're shooting blanks right now. Plus, they stink in the field, with five errors already. Yuck.
Chris Capuano will get his first start in Dodger blue on Saturday. He had a great Spring Training with a 2.75 ERA. With a win, the Dodgers would start 3-0 for the first time since 1999. Dustin Moseley will go for the Padres.
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