The Dodger offense exploded for 13 runs off 15 hits to beat the Marlins 13-1 and give Chad Billingsley his first win of the season.
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the second off a Russell Martin solo homerun, who ended up 2 for 2 with 3 walks. They added to their lead with 2 in the third and 1 in the fifth before batting around in both the seventh and eighth innings to score 9 runs in those innings. The bats were led by Rafael Furcal, who went 5 for 6 with 3 runs scored. Furcal raised his average to .381 with those 5 hits. Blake DeWitt also had 4 RBI while going 2 for 5. James Loney and Matt Kemp each added 3 RBI.
Billingsley earned his first win of the year, going seven innings and giving up one run on three hits with eight strikeouts. The one run he gave up came in the fifth, an inning that has haunted Billingsley all season, with an 18.92 ERA for all his fifth innings. He escaped giving up only one run and lowered his ERA to 5.20. Hong-Chih Kuo came in to pitch the eighth and ninth innings, his first appearance after making a start on April 22. He gave up a couple hits but kept the Marlins at one run.
The Dodgers go for the series sweep and their sixth straight win today. Hiroki Kuroda will go to even his record at 2-2 against Burke Badenhop, who is 0-2 in his first two starts as a big leaguer.
