Billingsley Collects 2nd Win To Put Dodgers At 5-1
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Andre Ethier hit an RBI single for his second go-ahead hit in two days and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 Wednesday night.
Chad Billingsley (2-0) allowed five hits -- including a home run by Clint Barmes -- struck out four and walked none.
Juan Rivera singled home Mark Ellis in the third and Dee Gordon in the seventh. Matt Guerrier and Kenley Jansen each pitched a scoreless inning and Javy Guerra worked a perfect ninth for his fourth straight save.
Erik Bedard (0-2) gave up two runs and eight hits in five-plus innings and struck out three. The Canadian-born left-hander, looking for his first NL victory, was coming off a 1-0 loss to Philadelphia ace Roy Halladay last Thursday at Pittsburgh.
The Dodgers opened the sixth with singles by Matt Kemp and Rivera, whose slow bouncer to the right of the mound deflected off Bedard's glove as he tried to backhand it. Ethier -- who hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning of Tuesday's home opener -- lined a 3-1 pitch the other way to left field, scoring Kemp and giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.
James Loney pinch hit and went 0 for 2, making him hitless in his first 16 at-bats -- the longest season-opening drought of his seven-year career. In 2008, he hit safely in his first 15 games.
Barmes, who was reunited with former Colorado Rockies manager Clint Hurdle after signing a two-year, $10.5 million contract with the Pirates in November, drove Billingsley's first pitch of the third inning over the left field fence to open the scoring. The 10-year shortstop had been hitless in his first 12 at-bats, his longest drought to begin a season.
NOTES: Nancy Bea Hefley, who succeeded Helen Dell as Dodger Stadium's organist in 1988, will get her first opportunity to throw out a ceremonial first pitch before Saturday night's game against San Diego. ... Clayton Kershaw was presented with his Cy Young Award on the field before the game by former Dodger Fernando Valenzuela, who won it in 1981 as a rookie. ... Barmes, who helped Hurdle win a pennant in 2007, hasn't batted over .245 in any season since hitting a career-best .290 in 2008. The following year he set career highs with 23 homers and 76 RBIs, after the Rockies fired Hurdle 46 games into the schedule. ... The security people on the field were wearing batting helmets during batting practice -- a new directive instituted by Major League Baseball for all ballparks.
