After nearly four hours and well over 300 pitches, the Dodgers managed a 6-3 win over the Houston Astros thanks to a walk-off home run by A.J. Ellis Saturday night at Dodger Stadium. Ellis slammed a pitch into the left field pavilion for the Dodgers' 20th home win in 25 games.

After a pair of laborious starts by Chad Billingsley and Bud Norris, there was no way this game was going to end in a nice, easy fashion.

After Ronald Belisario allowed a pair of walks in the eighth inning, closer Kenley Jansen entered the game for a four-out save attempt with the Dodgers leading 3-2. But catcher Jason Castro foiled those plans by squirting a double past a diving Jerry Hairston Jr. at third base to tie the score.

Jansen finished the ninth inning and ended up with his fourth win of the season.

The Astros scored a run off Billingsley in the first inning thanks to a double by Jose Altuve and an RBI single by Carlos Lee. Then in the second they looked to add even more. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases with nobody out, but Billingsley struck out his counterpart Norris. Billingsley followed with a walk to Jordan Schafer, giving the Astros a 2-0 lead, but he then struck out Altuve for the second out. J.D. Martinez hit a line drive to right field that looked like it might have broken the game wide open, but Andre Ethier was there to make a sliding catch to end the threat.

The Astros put two more runners on base in the third inning, but Billingsley retired the final seven batters he faced to end his night after five innings. Billingsley threw 99 pitches in his five innings but by comparison he was Mr. Efficiency.

Norris got through two innings without much damage, but the Dodgers broke through in the third inning with an RBI double by Ethier, cutting the Astros' lead in half. Through three innings Norris had thrown 64 pitches, but the fourth inning was an eternity.

Eight Dodgers came to the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning, and they saw a total of 43 pitches, including 15 foul balls in the fourth inning alone. The Dodgers plated two runs in the inning, on Tony Gwynn Jr.'s single, and may have struck for more had Martinez not made a great running catch of a ball hit to the wall in left center field by A.J. Ellis early in the inning. The game was already well over two hours old when Ethier flied out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Gwynn is 10-for-21 with five walks with runners in scoring position this season.

Norris ended up throwing 116 pitches in 4 2/3 innings, the second most pitches thrown this season by a starter who didn't last five innings. Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers threw 119 pitches in 4 2/3 innings against the New York Yankees on April 29.

Tonight's Particulars

Home Runs: A.J. Ellis (5)

WP - Kenley Jansen (4-0): 1 1/3 IP, 1 hit, 1 walk

LP - Wesley Wright (0-1): 1 batter, 1 HBP, 1 run

Game Time: 7:10 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

MLB Gameday

With eight players currently on the disabled list, the Dodgers have had to adjust on the fly with their roster, especially this month. In May alone, four players who started the month in Triple A Albuquerque have totaled 82 plate appearances with the Dodgers. Chief among them is Elian Herrera, who has stepped right in and has become a fixture in the Dodger lineup.

"The guy who has been the most consistent has been Elian. He's been able to play second, he's been able to play third, and he played center that one day in Arizona," said manager Don Mattingly. "He has swung the bat decently from both sides of the plate. He's got some speed, and he's shown some awareness. He's been solid."

Herrera tonight is starting at second base, the seventh straight game he has started. He has taken over the second spot in the lineup from the injured Mark Ellis, starting six of seven games batting second. In the other game, Herrera batted lead off and played center field.

It is a far cry from the catcher who was signed by the Dodgers out of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic in 2003.

"I was really slow and skinny, but I had a good arm. My dad was a big guy, and they assumed I would grow into the position," Herrera said. "I had to work hard on my legs, because I want to be behind the plate for nine innings, then I gained speed."

Herrera said he would run on the beach every day, and after running in all that sand eventually he felt like he was flying on a baseball field. In the Dominican Summer League in 2004, the Dodgers moved Herrera to second base, which began a journey of nine seasons in the minor leagues before getting the call on May 14 when Juan Uribe was placed on the disabled list.

Mattingly likened Herrera's journey to that of Casey Blake, who debuted at age 25 but didn't have more than a cup of coffee in the majors until age 29.

"Elian's been nine years in the minor leagues. I think Casey was eight. Those guys get a ton of baseball," Mattingly said. "When you've been through that many minor league seasons, that means you've been to a lot of spring training. You've heard a lot of talks about defense, baserunning, outfield drills, infield drills. They're going to drill you.

"You get a guy like that, this is almost a veteran that has played a ton of baseball. He's an older guy, more mature, who probably appreciates where he's at. He's had to fight his way to get here."

That's exactly how Herrera, now 27, feels.

"It's great. It was something that was always on my mind when I was young," Herrera said. "This year I knew I was not in spring training, but I was happy every time I was sent to the big league side, to be around all the players, it was amazing."

Herrera played in four games with the Dodgers in spring training, and was 3-for-6. With Triple A Albuquerque he was hitting .358 with a .381 on-base percentage when he got the call to the big leagues. Herrera has seen a big difference in quality between major and minor league pitchers.

"They command every pitch. When they want to throw in, it's in. When they want to throw out, it's out. They throw a lot of strikes. I just have to know my strike zone, because I know no matter what pitch they will be around the plate, and I just try to make contact," Herrera said. "I try to use my legs, and my god-given speed. I try to do the little things and not try to do too much."

Herrera has done well so far, hitting .355/.394/.452 in 11 games, including at least one hit in each of his seven starts. He has picked up where Ellis left off, as Dodgers second basemen lead MLB with a .385 on-base percentage and 35 runs scored.

If Herrera needs a role model, for a 27-year old rookie who played second base and the outfield in the minors, he can look no further than his first base coach, Davey Lopes, who debuted with the Dodgers in 1972.

"You're just happy to be there. The age factor doesn't come up until people talk about it. You already know that you're older than most rookies at the time, so you kind of downplay it," Lopes said. "My attitude is, what does age have to do with it if you are doing the job?"

Lopes likes what he sees in Herrera.

"He appears to be a good talent, he's got really good speed. However we've used him, he's done well at second, third, and center field," Lopes said. "Just watch his body style and how he runs. He plays younger than he is chronologically. His body is strong and he's quick. He's not going to lose that right away."

Herrera, meanwhile, is enjoying his time in the big leagues, no matter how long it lasts.

"I don't worry about what will happen when the other guys come back. I just go out and have fun, relax, and play the game," Herrera said. "You can't have a lot of things on your mind and play this game. This is a game with a lot of pressure no matter what, and all you can do is go out and do the best you can."

Starting Lineups

Game Time: 7:10 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

MLB Gameday

If the Dodgers are to snap their two-game losing streak tonight, they will likely need a solid start from Chad Billingsley, against a team that has given him trouble through the years.

Billingsley pitched his first major league complete game in Houston in 2007, but even with that win Billingsley has allowed 32 runs in 45 1/3 innings in eight career starts against the Astros. At Dodger Stadium it has been even worse, with three losses in three starts and 15 runs allowed in 11 2/3 innings, though Billingsley hasn't faced the Astros at Dodger Stadium since 2009. Carlos Lee is the only Astro remaining from that game.

He gave up nine runs, including two home runs, on April 22 in Houston, and couldn't get out of the fifth inning. Beginning with that start, Billingsley is 0-3 in his last six starts with a 5.64 ERA.

Billingsley will be opposed on the mound Saturday night by Bud Norris, who is having himself quite a month. Norris has made four starts in May and has four wins, thanks to allowing all of two runs, one earned, in 26 innings, with nine walks and 29 strikeouts. His 0.35 ERA is the best in baseball in May by nearly a run over Zack Greinke, who the Dodgers will face on Thursday.

Notes

• The Dodgers have won the last five games in which they have scored first, and are a National League-best 24-6 when scoring first this season.
• The Dodgers have outscored their opponents 34-15 in the first inning this season.
• The Dodgers are 7-0 this season on Saturdays and have won 12 of their last 13 Saturday games. They have also won seven straight Saturday home games.
  

Game Time: 7:10 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

MLB Gameday

Minor League Player of the Day – Blake Johnson - 2 IP, 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 K's, 1 for 1, game winning hit. Blake Johnson was one of the rare relief pitchers to win a game both with his arm and his bat as he recorded the victory on Friday with 2 innings of hitless ball, and also drove in the game winning run at the plate. The Dodgers former 2nd round pick has had an up and down season so far, but hopefully this will get him back on the right track.

AAA – The Isotopes connected on 3 homers on Friday, but that wasn't enough as Albuquerque lost to the RedHawks (Astros) 10 to 4. After some recent success, starter Stephen Fife slipped back into his old ways and had another rough outing as he allowed 7 runs on 8 hits over 4.2 frames. A couple of relievers got through the middle frames with limited damage, but Josh Wall gave up a 2-run homer in the 9th to cap the opposition scoring. At the plate Luis Cruz continued his recent hot streak with 3 more hits, including his 4th homer of the season. Trent Oeltjen and Jeff Baisley had the other two bombs and both also had multi-hit games.

AA – Reliever Blake Johnson was not only the winning pitcher in this 14 inning game, but he also had the game winning walk-off hit in the Lookouts 5 - 4 victory over the Suns (Marlins). Johnson came in from the bullpen in the 13th inning and went on the throw 2 hitless inning, then in the bottom of the 14th he came up with the bases loaded. Chattanooga didn't have any other options at this point in the game so they led Blake hit, and he rewarded his team with a walk-off single into center field. Going back to the beginning of this game, Chris Withrow was the starting pitcher and had an up and down game, allowing just 4 hits over 5 frames while striking out 8 but also walking 5. Once he left game his relievers were outstanding, and when you include Johnson's effort the bullpen finished the game with 9 innings of shutout ball and just 3 hits allowed. 16 different Lookout players got at least one official at bat in this game, including Ethan Martin and Aaron Miller who were used as pinch hitters. Speaking of hitting pitchers Withrow went 2 for 2, while Pedro Baez and Blake Smith both went 2 for 6 with a homer. Jake Lemmerman had 2 hits including a double, while Rafael Ynoa had the only triple of the evening.

HiA – Not much to write about in this game as the Quakes were weathered by the Storm (Padres) 13 to 2. Starter Greg Wilborn got rocked for 5 runs in just 2.1 innings, and his bullpen didn't have success either as Ryan Acosta and Jordan Roberts both allowed 4 runs of their own. Steve Smith was the only pitcher who escaped the game unscathed as he hurled a pair of perfect innings. On offense Jonathan Garcia increased his batting average to .271 with a single and a double, and he also stole his first base of the season. Chris O'Brien and C.J. Retherford both had doubles of their own for the only other extra base hits of the game.

LoA – Pedro Guerrero played hero on Superhero Night in Midland on Friday as the Loons defeated the Hot Rods (Rays) 9 to 6. Guerrero tripled in the 2nd inning then crushed a grand slam in the 3rd frame to give him homers in back to back days. Joe Winker chipped in with a pair of doubles to give him a lead leading 18 two-baggers for the season, and James Baldwin went 1 for 3 with a walk and stole 3 bases in this game. On the mound Ryan O'Sullivan recorded the win despite giving up 5 runs (4 earned) over 6 frames while averaging a strikeout per inning. Matt Shelton and Michael Thomas followed with 2 innings of 1-hit ball, then Yimi Garcia got back on track with his 7th save of the season.

Coming up – Nathan Eovaldi throws for the Lookouts on Saturday, while Garrett Gould and John Ely will start for the Quakes and Isotopes, respectively. The Loons starter is TBD, but it looks like it will be Gustavo Gomez.

Minor League Transactions – AA: Matt Wallach was added back to the Lookout roster

Albuquerque Isotopes Box Score (AAA)

Chattanooga Lookouts Box Score (AA)

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Box Score (HiA)

Great Lakes Loons Box Score (LoA)

http://firstinning.com/daily/la

The key moment of Friday night's 3-1 Dodgers loss to the Houston Astros came in the bottom of the eighth inning, when the Dodgers were threatening against the Houston bullpen after being unable to solve the Lucas Harrell puzzle all evening.

The Dodgers had the bases loaded with one out, down two runs, and the Astros brought in southpaw Fernando Abad to pitch with James Loney due up. Loney, hitting just .175/.214/.225 (7-for-40) against lefties this year and .213/.254/.300 in 369 plate appearances against lefties over the last three seasons, was pulled for a pinch hitter.

Outside of right-handed hitting Matt Treanor, who as the backup catcher is rarely used as a pinch hitter, manager Don Mattingly had a trio of right-handed choices on his bench: Scott Van Slyke, he of the pinch-hit three-run home run on Sunday; Jerry Sands he of the pinch-hit double during the five-run rally Tuesday in Arizona; or Ivan De Jesus, he of the pinch-hit sacrifice fly Tuesday as well as the game-winning two-run double.

Mattingly went with De Jesus, the one of the three with the least power, though a home run wasn't what Mattingly was looking for in that spot.

"Out of all the guys we had there, [De Jesus] is the best hitter of all of them. But obviously Scotty can be a little dangerous," Mattingly said after the game. "I needed more of a hit there, and not necessarily to pop the ball, though that would be nice. Ivan's been swinging the bat pretty good and I felt like he was our best option, and it didn't work out."

De Jesus struck out, and A.J. Ellis flew out to end the rally, the Dodgers fell. But as that was really the Dodgers' best scoring threat of the night, the larger problem was not being able to do anything off Harrell, who induced 16 groundouts on the night.

"He pounded the strike zone, he got ahead in the count. He attacked us all night long," Mattingly said of Harrell. "He did a good job."

Harrell was supported by an Astros offense that had five extra-base hits off Clayton Kershaw, who took his second loss of the season.

"I didn't have as great of command as I would have liked," Kershaw said. "Overall I thought I pitched okay, with just a couple mistakes here and there. In a game like that, it will cost you."

Mattingly agreed, adding, "He didn't seem as sharp as usual, but typical Clayton he just kept battling and fighting and kept us in the game."

The Astros scored an unearned run in the first helped by a throwing error from Elian Herrera, then added two more on a home run by J.D. Martinez in the third inning. It was an at-bat Kershaw regretted.

"Martinez hit a good pitch actually. I shouldn't have been behind in the count obviously," Kershaw said. "I probably threw one too many of the same pitches and he did a good job with it, and it cost us the game. My job is to put up zeroes every inning."

Up Next

The Dodgers look to snap their fifth two-game losing streak of the season on Saturday night, at "Bark in the Park Night" at Dodger Stadium. Chad Billingsley takes the hill for the Dodgers, facing Bud Norris for Houston.

The Dodgers didn't swing and miss once all night against Lucas Harrell. The problem though was they didn't do much of anything when they made contact off the Houston Astros' starting pitcher, who pitched the Astros to a 3-1 win over the Dodgers Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.

Harrell allowed five singles and three walks in his 7 1/3 innings, and induced 16 groundouts on the night. The only run Harrell allowed was one he bequeathed to his relievers, leaving with one out and one on in the bottom of the eighth.

A walk, a single, and a walk to the first three batters post-Harrell gave the Dodgers a run, and a bases loaded situation with one out, down two runs. When left-hander Fernando Abad was summoned from the bullpen to face James Loney. But Don Mattingly countered with a right-handed pinch hitter to face Abad, but he didn't use Scott Van Slyke or Jerry Sands. Mattingly tabbed Ivan De Jesus, who delivered the two-run game-winning double on Tuesday in Arizona.

De Jesus didn't have a similar result on Friday, as he struck out. A.J. Ellis followed by flying out o center and the rally was dead. The Dodgers had two hits and two walks in the eighth inning, but the Astros used five pitchers to get three outs, allowing just one run.

Clayton Kershaw was greeted by Jose Altuve with a leadoff double in the first inning, then one out later J.D. Martinez reached base on catcher's interference, the first such call on the Dodgers since Russell Martin was called for CI on May 29, 2008 against then-Met Claudio Vargas. Carlos Lee followed with what appeared to be an inning-ending double play, but Elian Herrera threw wild toward the Astros dugout and just like that Kershaw's scoreless streak was done at 22 innings.

In the third inning, Jed Lowrie hit one off the Hyundai sign in left center field for a double, narrowly missing a home run. Martinez followed with a ball to left that didn't miss being a home run, giving the Astros a 3-0 lead. Lee followed with another hit that was nearly a home run, but Bobby Abreu made a leaping catch at the wall in left field.

Kershaw allowed four doubles for the third time in his career, and the first time since April 24, 2010 against the Washington Nationals. With the home run by Martinez, Kershaw allowed five extra-base hits for the second time in his career, with the other game also that game two years ago against Washington.

Harrell came into the game with the fourth lowest strikeout rate in the National League (12.5% of his plate appearances), and that number went down Friday night. Harrell didn't strikeout a single batter, becoming the first starter to beat the Dodgers without a strikeout since Kyle Kendrick of the Philadelphia Phillies did it on August 31, 2010. Kendrick, it should be noted, beat the Dodgers twice without a strikeout, joining Vern Law as the only pitchers to turn the trick twice against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Notes

• The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak by the Dodgers against right-handed starting pitchers.
• Jerry Hairston Jr. played first base in the eighth inning, just his second career game at the position. Hairston played 6 1/3 innings at first base for the Chicago Cubs on May 20, 2006.
  
• Bobby Abreu had three walks and a single on the night, and is hitting .327/.435/.462 in 19 games as a Dodger.
  
• Elian Herrera went 2-for-4 with a run scored on Friday, and has at least one hit in all seven games he has started this season.
• Dee Gordon went 1-for-4 Friday, and is 4-for-12 in three games since returning from his benching.
• Christopher Jackson of the Albuquerque Examiner caught up with Dodgers prospect Alex Castellanos, who has returned to the Isotopes but hasn't yet been cleared to play with his left hamstring injury.
• There has still never been a Dodgers team start their season 20-4 at home.

Tonight's Particulars

Home Runs: J.D. Martinez (4)

WP - Lucas Harrell (4-3): 7 1/3 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 0 strikeouts

LP - Clayton Kershaw (4-2): 7 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 3 walks, 6 strikeouts

Sv - Brett Myers (12): 1 IP, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts

Game Time: 7:10 p.m.

TV: Prime Ticket

MLB Gameday