Billingsley, Dodgers Look For Pick-Me-Up In Phoenix

In a bummer of a season, the Dodgers got more bad news last night, as John Lindsey broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in the seventh inning, and is out for the season. Tony Jackson of ESPN LA had the postgame locker room reaction:

"It's very sad, considering how long he waited for this opportunity, for him to have to swallow this pill," Torre said. "This kid certainly isn't going to let this take away from trying to fight his way back again next year."

Although he wore a soft brace on his hand after the game, Lindsey also was still wearing the smile that hasn't really left his face since the day he arrived.

"It is what it is," he said. "I still have to lean on my faith. There is a reason for it, and God has a plan for me. I just have to get through this and see what's next."

One of the other Dodger feel-good stories this season has been Chad Billingsley's bounce-back year. He gets the start today, having given up just one home run since Memorial Day, a span of 118 1/3 innings. However, five of the eight home runs Billingsley has allowed this season have been hit by the Diamondbacks. He is 1-0 with a 4.68 ERA against them in four starts this season, and he has seven unintentional walks against 31 strikeouts in 25 innings.

Joe Saunders is 3-6 with a 4.46 ERA for the Diamondbacks, but he has pitched better at Chase Field than on the road. At home with Arizona, he is 3-2 with a 3.07 ERA and 4.29 FIP in six starts and has averaged over seven innings per start.

James Loney is 4-for-8 with a home run in his career against Saunders.

The Dodgers have lost seven straight three-game series (a four-game split with Houston is mixed in there), and look to avoid making it eight today. Their last series win was the sweep in Milwaukee from August 24-26.

Ethier On The Mend

Andre Ethier spoke with Jim Peltz of the LA Times about how his broken pinkie has affected his season:

"I have a swing where I don't finish with two hands, I finish one-handed with the hand I had the broken finger on," he said. "So there were some swings where I felt like, at the end of it, I'm fighting just to hold on to the bat.

"A month ago, some swings I felt like I was still letting the bat go," Ethier said. But he added that he has since regained enough strength in the hand that it's no longer an issue.

 

Game Time:  1:10 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

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